


Flower Boy

by TayVengeance



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Angst, F/M, Flowers, Fluff, M/M, Seventeen - Freeform, Slight Jeonghao, i will add members as they appear, meanie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-06
Updated: 2018-02-02
Packaged: 2018-05-31 15:16:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 48,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6475411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TayVengeance/pseuds/TayVengeance
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jeon Wonwoo works at his family's flower shop. It's not exactly his cup of tea, but he knows a lot about flowers and is good at his job. </p><p>Kim Mingyu makes it his mission to visit this flower shop as much as possible after his first encounter at the store.</p><p> </p><p>The meanie flower shop au that no one asked for, but everyone needed.<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Remember This Forever

Love is like a flower. A seed is planted in your heart, and with proper nurturing and care, it grows and blooms into something beautiful

Wonwoo never stopped to appreciate the flowers he cared for. He saw them only as a commodity to be sold in exchange for some money and a heartfelt story on why they were being purchased. Sure, he knew a lot about the flowers he cared for, but it just seemed like trivia to him. Stuff he learned from reading books and helping in the family shop all his life. There was a point in his life when he did care about the flowers he sold, but it wilted away just as any flower does when it loses the sun.

Wonwoo often found himself thinking back to those days when he was stuck at the flower shop alone with slow business. Back to the days when his mind was littered with thoughts of the one person that brought the sunshine into his life; falling into his mind like cherry blossoms on a nice April day. He would smile and feel, if only for a moment, that everything was as it was then, only to be hit with the unfortunate truth that it wasn’t.

The worst part about these memories was that he went into a fit of nostalgia every time he saw sweet peas. Sweet peas were _his_ flower. They were bright, beautiful, and delicate just like him. Wonwoo swallowed past the lump in his throat as he trimmed the leaves on the wretched flower. How could one person impact his life so much? So much so, that a single flower is enough to bring him to tears?

~ 6 months prior ~

Wonwoo was on the verge of total slumber when he heard the bells chime. The second the bells rang, his head shot up off the register and his attention was turned to the tall, silver-haired boy walking into the shop. “Hello, welcome to Flower Boy Next Door. How may I be of assistance?”

The boy smiled and walked up to the register, “Hi, I was wondering if you’d be able to help me put together a bouquet in honor of my grandparent’s anniversary? It’s their 50th, you know, the golden year.”

Wonwoo nodded and stepped away from the register and motioned the boy to follow him to the back of the shop. “Okay, so I’m going to walk you through this bouquet so that you can impress everyone at this family event with flower knowledge,” Wonwoo told the boy. “Oh, before I begin, what’s your name? I would like to properly address you as I tell you about these flowers.”

The boy chuckled, “I’m Kim Mingyu. Thank you very much…” he squinted and looked at Wonwoo’s nametag. “Jeon Wonwoo.”

Wonwoo nodded, “It is my pleasure – and mostly my job and expected of me. So, Kim Mingyu, are you ready to become an expert on 5 different types of flowers?”

Mingyu nodded, “Hit me with knowledge, hyung.”

Wonwoo smiled at Mingyu’s use of honorifics, even though they hadn’t told each other their birthdays. “Well, I will begin with the Japanese lilacs. These represent first love, which I am guessing your grandparents were never with anyone else, yes?”

Mingyu nodded, “This is correct. It’s been just the two of them since forever.”

“Good! Now, the next flowers I’m putting in are some white carnations. These represent remembering all the years they have spent together. Next, red chrysanthemums are a symbol of sharing, and your grandparents share their lives with each other. So these will go well with the bouquet. You got this so far?”

“Yeah. I think I’m good. Thank you.”

“Good! It’s not a problem at all. I have two more flowers for you. The first is a Casablanca lily, because it’s a symbol of celebration. The last flower is a very important one, okay? I need you to promise that if you forget everything ever, you’ll still remember what I’m about to tell you.”

“I promise, Wonwoo hyung. Cross my heart.”

Wonwoo smiled, “This is a red tulip. If you give it to someone, it’s a declaration of love.” He placed two red tulips at the centre of the bouquet, and tied them all up with some gold paper and ribbon. “And this concludes bouquet building 101 with professor Jeon Wonwoo. Any questions?” He handed Mingyu the bouquet.

“Nope. I got it all. Especially the red tulips. You bet I will never forget that,” Mingyu smiled as he walked back to the register with Wonwoo.

“Okay, Kim Mingyu. You’ve been a real treat today. I’ll let you in on that friends and family discount, That is, only if you promise to make me your go-to flower boy.”

Mingyu laughed, making his canines visible. “I promise, Wonwoo hyung.”

Wonwoo smiled, “So your total today comes out to ￦25,000.”

“Ah! You are so kind to me!” Mingyu said as he handed Wonwoo his money. “Also, what year were you born? I keep calling you hyung, but I could be wrong.”

Wonwoo chuckled, “1996.”

Mingyu smiled, and made his way to the doors. Before he exited the flower shop, he turned around and said, “Thanks, hyung!”

Wonwoo felt a small tug at his chest as he watched Mingyu exit the store. It was rare for a customer let him explode his flower knowledge on them, and it certainly was rare for him to get so excited about the flowers he sold. Why was Kim Mingyu the exception?


	2. That's What Friends are For

Wonwoo found Seokmin at their usual meeting spot before class began for the day. The boys usually made it a point to sit at an isolated picnic table far off from the hustle and bustle of campus noise. It was nice to be able to catch up on each other’s lives before they were burdened with the task of learning. 

“Ah! Wonwoo hyung!” Seokmin’s wide grin spread across his face as the older boy walked over to where he was sitting. “How was your shift yesterday? Last thing you texted me was ‘don’t tell my mom, but I’m about to sleep on the job.’”

“Heh, yeah. I ended up helping out a customer, actually. Totally interrupted the nap I was looking forward to.”

“Was it at least quick and painless?”

Wonwoo couldn’t help the smile that tugged at the corner of this mouth, “Actually it was a very pleasant interaction. A young man came in to get flowers for his grandparent’s anniversary. He actually let me tell him about the flowers.”

Seokmin pat Wonwoo on the back, “Finally got someone to listen to your flower trivia, eh? I’m happy for you. This is a monumental moment in your life.”

“Hey, losers!” Jeonghan interrupted as he ran up to greet his friends. “My alarm didn’t go off this morning, but my cat thankfully jumped on my face and woke me up. Also I think I overdressed because I thought it was going to rain today, and running in all these layers is killing me. So, what have I missed?” He explained while pulling his smooth, blonde hair into a tight ponytail. 

“Our Wonwoo finally got a customer to listen to his flower trivia,” Seokmin explained.

“Ah! I’m proud of you, dongsaeng,” Jeonghan smiled and gave Wonwoo a pat on the back. “I always knew you’d find someone willing to listen to you drabble on about flowers. Who is this brave soul?”

Wonwoo chuckled at his friends, “His name is Kim Mingyu. I’m fairly certain I’ve seen him around campus before. He’s probably around 185 cm, since he had a few centimeters on me. He has silver hair – but he hasn’t dyed it for a while, because I could see his natural dark colour. Also, when he full on smiles, his canines show and it’s enough to make you melt and die a little inside.”

Jeonghan and Seokmin share a look that says ‘our Wonwoo is love-struck,’ and both let out a small chuckle. “Wonwoo-ah, it sounds like you fancy this Kim Mingyu,” Seokmin pressed.

Wonwoo’s cheeks turned a bright pink, “I so do not. He was just really nice and attractive. Am I not allowed to gush about nice, attractive people?”

Jeonghan laughed, “I’ve never heard you gush about me, so I didn’t know this was a desirable topic of conversation.”

Wonwoo lightly slapped Jeonghan on the back of his head, “Shut up, hyung. This isn’t about you, or your lovely hair. This is about Kim Mingyu and the fact he let me talk about flowers to him.”

“Let’s scout the campus before class so you can show us this legendary human,” Seokmin joked.

“Let’s not. Let’s just actually end this conversation here and see what Jeonghan hyung did yesterday.”

“What do you think I did? I came home, ate some ramen, and then slept.”

“So typical of you, hyung,” Seokmin said, shaking his head. 

“What about you, Seokmin-ah?” Jeonghan asked.

“I had vocal lessons after class yesterday. My coach told me she was very impressed with my improvement since recovering from that nasty bronchitis spell I had last month. I’ve got a recital next week. You guys should come watch your dongsaeng sweep the audience off their feet with his master singing skills.”

“We wouldn’t even dream of missing it, Seokmin!” Wonwoo smiled. “I’ll even make you a special bouquet for your big night.”

Seokmin smiled, “I look forward to this beautiful creation! As much as I joke around about your love of flowers, I really look forward to occasions when you make bouquets. It’s because you love them so much that they always turn out better than any other bouquet.”

Jeonghan’s phone alarm abruptly went off, warning the three boys that their noon classes were about to start. They said their goodbyes and went off to their respected classrooms. Wonwoo had music production this hour, Seokmin had music composition, and Jeonghan was off to his general studies class he neglected to take his first year of university. 

Jeonghan was lazy his first year of university, and got all electives and classes he deemed interesting out of the way. This of course screwed him over, and caused him to have to take an entry-level class his graduation year. His class was full of first year students, except for the one other fourth year who made the same mistake. His name was Seungcheol, and the two became good friends while bonding over being the oldest ones in their class. They ended up with a lot of homework after class, so Jeonghan invited Seungcheol to study with him and Seokmin and Wonwoo at the flower shop. 

It had become routine for the three boys to meet up for study sessions at the flower shop on Wednesdays. Wonwoo’s mom let him take these days off as long as the three were quiet and promised to actually study. Today ended up being one of those rainy Seoul days, which had the boys thanking Wonwoo’s mother for letting them take shelter inside the shop. 

“See, I knew it would rain today,” Jeonghan smiled as he walked into the flower shop, pulling Seungcheol along behind him. 

“Jeonghan! You’ve made it!” Seokmin yelled from the back of the shop. 

“Ah! I also brought a classmate,” he responded as he and Seungcheol made their way to the back where Seokmin and Wonwoo were already gathered. “Guys, this is Seungcheol. He’s in that general ed class I have to take.”

Seungcheol smiled and waved from behind Jeonghan. “Hey. It’s nice to finally meet you guys. Jeonghan speaks very highly of you.”

“Welcome, Seungcheol! Welcome to my flower shop. I am Wonwoo, and this here is Seokmin,” Wonwoo introduced. “Because Jeonghan brought you to this exclusive study group, it looks like you have no choice but to join this band of misfits. Sorry Seungcheol, looks like you’re stuck with us now.”

Seungcheol laughed, “Thank you, Wonwoo. I appreciate the heartfelt welcome. I look forward to becoming good friends with you guys.”

As soon as hellos were exchanged, the boys got down to business. It’s two hours of Jeonghan and Seungcheol exchanging in confused conversation about the philosophy texts in front of them, while Seokmin and Wonwoo give each other tips on each other’s music compositions. 

Around 10pm, it finally stops raining long enough for the boys to make their way back to the dorms. They part ways as each boy comes across their dorm, and Wonwoo is left with Seokmin as they make their way to their shared dorm room. 

Seokmin cut the silence with a question for his friend. “Hey, Wonwoo?” 

“Yes?”

“Earlier today, when you were talking about that customer, you really lit up. I haven’t seen you talk so passionately about anything other than flowers. I’ve also never heard you talk about a girl this way. I understand if you don’t want to answer this question, but I feel I have to ask. Are… are you gay?”

Wonwoo stopped in his tracks. He wasn’t expecting this question. He had often questioned his sexuality, since he never really felt the same way about women as most other guys. On the inside, he knew the answer to the question, but he hadn’t actually come to accept the answer quite yet. “I… I don’t know. Probably?”

“Probably?”

“Well,” he paused as he pieced together how to say this to Seokmin. “I guess I never really spent too much time thinking about it? I mean, I know I’m attracted to men, but I don’t think gender really matters if I find someone I really care about. So, I guess my answer is just a big question mark.”

Seokmin nodded and wrapped an arm around Wonwoo, “I support you, hyung. I just wanted to know so that I may assist you in your quest to woo this Mingyu character.”

Wonwoo laughed, “Is that so, Seokmin? Well, I appreciate the concern, but I’m not going to pursue him. I don’t even know him. I sold the man flowers!”

“Ah, but he listened to you when you told him about the flowers. Okay. I want to make a bet with you. Dinner says he comes back to the shop to buy more flowers from you in the next week.”

Wonwoo raises an eyebrow, “Dinner, eh? You’re on. If he does, you pay, and vice versa.”

“Bring it on, Kim Mingyu.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand there we go. Friendships have been made (more will be added later on, don't worry!) and we begin the sappy stuff next chapter ;)
> 
> I hope to update again this week, so keep an eye out. Pester me on Twitter (@tayvengenz) or tumblr (tayvengeance.tumblr.com) :) thank you for reading


	3. You're Just The Flower I Came To See

Wonwoo woke up early the next morning for his opening shift at the flower shop. He looked outside to see that the rain, unfortunately, had not let up since the previous day. _’Great. Now I have to walk all the way to work in the rain. This is exactly how I wanted to spend my Friday,’_ Wonwoo sulked. Very sluggishly, he made his way out of bed and into the dorm’s en suite (shared) bathroom. He made sure to close the door behind him, so as not to wake up Seokmin. 

Wonwoo took a quick shower – just making a point to scrub his hair – and took the remaining 15 minutes before he had to leave to make himself look presentable to the world. He put on some cream and concealer – because even boys deserve to look pretty – and made sure his hair looked like something off a model in GQ magazine.

With a minute to spare, Wonwoo wrote a note for Seokmin letting him know when he got off work, and to wait for him to grab dinner after. Once he stuck the note to Seokmin’s door, he scurried out of the dorm, and into the storm. 

It wasn’t quite a “storm,” but it was definitely raining hard enough that Wonwoo was regretting not having an umbrella. He made sure to zip up his jacket all the way up to his nose before stepping out into the rain. He could feel the water pounding on his hood, creating a fast rhythmic beat in his ears. He started rapping quietly to the beat of the rain.

_Ah, I can feel it in my chest_  
_A feeling though unfamiliar, I’ll try to do my best_  
_To tell you how it feels_  
_It’s growing inside_  
_Like a ginger_  
_Full of pride_  
_And I don’t suppose you understand_  
_What I’m trynna tell you._  
_I don’t suppose you really know_  
_That you linger like morning dew_  
_These feelings are all new_  
_And I don’t know what to do._  
_Just give me a reason to see you again_  
_Come here and tell me I’m not going insane_  
_Don’t just leave me in the pouring rain_  
_Let me give you some flowers_  
_Take away my pain._

Wonwoo stopped rapping as he walked into the safety of the flower shop. He wiped his feet on the entry rug, and made his way to the employee closet to trade his jacket for his apron. He did his morning rounds, checking in on all the flowers in the shop and making sure they were all presentable and sellable. Some gladiolus had met a timely demise, which he made a note to tell his mother later on. 

At the stroke of 7am, Wonwoo deemed the store ready to open. He walked up to the glass entrance doors and flipped the sign so it said “Open,” and watched as the rain came down even harder than when he was walking to work. _’Looks like it’s going to be a slow day,’_ he thought. 

Since he was the only one in the store, Wonwoo saw to harm in docking his iPhone and playing music in the shop. He took the opportunity to dance along as “Stop Stop It(하지하지마)” started filling the room. He was so caught up in dancing, that he didn’t even notice when Jeonghan walked into the shop. His friend stood at the entrance, unable to bring himself to stop Wonwoo in his moment of bliss. 

Wonwoo stops dancing when he sees a figure standing at the entrance. He feels less bad ignoring the customer when he realizes its Jeonghan, and gestures for his friend to come over to where he is.

“What do you need, my friend? Wonwoo says, still panting from the dancing. 

Jeonghan chuckles, “Well, I got a phone call from my mum this morning – waking me up three hours earlier than I had originally planned, might I add – and she said she was going to be in Seoul this weekend. I just wanna give her a flower while she’s here.”

Wonwoo smiled, “I’ll give you some pink roses to give her.”

“Is this where I’m supposed to ask you what pink roses represent?” Jeonghan laughed while following Wonwoo over to the roses.  
“Admiration!” Wonwoo smiled as he handed Jeonghan three pink roses.

Jeonghan laughed at his friend’s enthusiasm. It made him happy to see Wonwoo so happy, and everyone knew Wonwoo was his happiest around flowers. “Ah, how much do I owe you, dongsaeng?”

“₩9000.”

“You are so good to me, dongsaeng,” Jeonghan smiled as he clutched at his chest with his free hand.

Wonwoo winked at Jeonghan as he left the store, waving on his way out. Wonwoo was glad to see that the rain had let up for the moment, and that Jeonghan’s flowers would be safe from the weather. He turned around and went to refill his pink rose display, and heard the door open behind him. “Jeonghan hyung, did you forget something?” he asked without turning around. 

“Ah, hyung! It’s actually Mingyu,” the tall boy waved from the entrance. 

Wonwoo spun around to face Mingyu, so fast so that he almost tripped over his own feet. “Mingyu!” Wonwoo greeted with a big smile. 

The younger boy made his way over to Wonwoo and the roses, “Ah, I wanted to come by and thank you for the flowers. I gave them to my grandparents this morning, and they loved them! They were really happy to receive such a personal bouquet, and they wanted me to extend their thanks to the thoughtful florist I bought them from.”

Wonwoo rubbed the back of his neck, “It’s no problem. It’s my job, so I might as well have fun with it.”

Mingyu smiled, revealing his canines to Wonwoo’s pleasure. Wonwoo turned around to the rose display he was in front of and pulled a yellow rose out. Tentatively, he handed it to Mingyu, who gave him a questioning look as he accepted the rose into his hand. “What’s this, hyung?”

Wonwoo could feel his cheeks burning, “It’s a yellow rose to signify our friendship.”

Mingyu’s face lit up, “Ah, hyung! You mean to say we’re friends now?”

Wonwoo chuckled at the younger boy, glad to see he was excited about being friends instead of the creeped out reaction he was expecting. “Only if you don’t mind the company of a boy who just really likes flowers.”

Mingyu laughed, “Of course not! Teach me all you know!” 

A sudden crack of thunder silenced the two boys, and caused them to walk over to the nearest window. It was pouring again, but this time the rain was accompanied by thunder and lightning. “Ah, Mingyu, it looks like you should stay in here for a while. I don’t want you going out in that.”

“Good. I don’t wanna go out in that,” Mingyu said as he looked nervously out the window. He turned to look at Wonwoo, “Hey, can we get music in here? Storms make me nervous.”

Wonwoo nodded, and walked over to dock his phone in the music player. He switched from his dancing playlist to his rainy day playlist – full of slow jams that help set the rainy mood – and smiled as “Words Don’t Come Easy” by Mamamoo came on. 

“Ah, I love this song!” Mingyu exclaimed as he rushed over to Wonwoo to steal a look at his music. “Wow, this is a really good playlist.”  
Wonwoo smiled, “I carefully crafted it last time it rained. Had to make sure it was perfect.”

Mingyu hummed in agreement, swaying to the music. His eyes were closed, and he had a peaceful expression on his face – despite the raging storm outside. When Mamamoo ended, BtoB’s “It’s Okay” came on and Mingyu’s eyes fluttered opened. “This is my favourite song! Dance with me, hyung!” he exclaimed, grabbing Wonwoo’s wrists and pulling him into the open area of the shop. 

Wonwoo blushes as Mingyu takes his hands and sways them both to the music. This is definitely not what he thought he would be doing today when he woke up. He glanced up to see Mingyu smiling down at him. When they make eye contact, the two start laughing. It becomes less awkward at that moment, and Wonwoo takes the initiative to spin Mingyu out of his arms, and pull him right back in. When Mingyu comes back to Wonwoo, it’s with a little too much force, and he slams into Wonwoo’s chest, causing him to stumble back into the roses. The flowers remain unharmed, but Wonwoo’s back gets covered scratches and damp soil. 

Mingyu helps him up, letting a stream of “Oh no, hyung I’m so sorry’s” flow from his mouth. Wonwoo starts laughing at the situation, but Mingyu felt too guilty to join in the laughter. He feels even worse when Wonwoo winces as he helps him up. “Ah, the thorns really scratched up your back! I need to clean you up. Please, you need to take your shirt off and grab me antiseptic and some cotton. Not necessarily in that order, but those tasks need to be done.”

Wonwoo listened to Mingyu, and walked over to the employee closet. He grabbed the antiseptic and cotton, and walked it back over to his friend. Mingyu motioned for him to sit down on the register counter and take his shirt off, which he obliged. He winced as Mingyu gently dabbed each cut with the antiseptic, feeling the alcohol burn as it did its job. “How bad is it, Mingyu-ah?”

“Not too bad. Only one cut even drew blood, but it wasn’t bad at all. You’ll be fine. I just wanted to make sure you were cleaned up so nothing could get infected. Do you happen to have a different shirt to wear? This one was torn in the back.”

Wonwoo shook his head, “No, that was it today. All I have is my parka.”

Mingyu shook his head in disapproval, “Hyung, you really should dress for the weather.” Mingyu pulled his sweater off – leaving himself in a plain white long-sleeve shirt – and handed it to Wonwoo. 

Wonwoo took the sweater hesitantly, and slowly pulled in on. It was a little big on him – which he figured would happen since Mingyu is a few centimeters taller – and the sleeves enveloped his hands.

“Wonwoo-ah, you look adorable with those sweater paws. Please, tell me about flowers with your best aegyo.”

Seeing as how he couldn’t possibly embarrass himself in front of Mingyu any more than he had already, Wonwoo asked Mingyu what his birthday was.  
“April 6th, 1997. Why?”

Wonwoo smiled. He walked over and grabbed a flower, then came back over to Mingyu. He made sure his hands were covered with sleeves before putting on a shy/cute demeanor and handing Mingyu the flower. “This is a sweet pea. It’s your birth flower,” he said, swaying from side to side as he spoke. “It stands for your seemingly shy and delicate personality, but is strong and handsome like you!” And with the ‘like you,’ Wonwoo bopped Mingyu’s nose with his finger. 

Mingyu burst into a fit of laughter, “Wonwoo-ah, that was too much.”

Wonwoo smiled and walked back over to where the sweet peas were. He grabbed a loose petal and returned to where Mingyu was resting against the register counter. “Wanna know another fun fact about sweet peas?”

Mingyu nodded, and stared intently at Wonwoo. 

“If you kiss a fallen petal and place it on someone’s head, it’s good luck,” he said as he placed a gentle kiss on the petal and set it on Mingyu’s head.  
“Huh, interesting.”

Wonwoo smiled, glad the younger boy believed his lie. He would never admit to Mingyu that he made the factoid up. Besides, all superstitions had to begin somewhere.  
Wonwoo glanced outside to see the storm had dwindled to a light drizzle. It seemed as though their time together was coming to an end, since it was safe for Mingyu to leave the shelter of the flower shop. He glanced at the window as well, letting a sigh escape his lips. “Well, looks like it’s safe to leave. Thank you, hyung for letting me stay in your shop. And also, thank you for being cool about my anxiety when it comes to storms. You’re a great friend.”

Wonwoo smiled, and picked up the yellow rose from the counter, handing it back to Mingyu, “Stick them in a coffee mug full of water. That’ll keep them going for about a week. Thanks for making my shift bearable. I was not looking forward to work today because I knew it would be slow. Come and visit anytime you like! I’d love to tell you more flower trivia.”

Mingyu smiled as he took his flowers and walked back over to the entrance where he had placed his umbrella earlier that morning.  
“Mingyu-ah! I’ve got your sweater still!” Wonwoo exclaimed.

Mingyu waved a hand at him, “Keep it. I’ll get it back later on. You need to look professional at your job! Which reminds me…” He made his way back over to Wonwoo, and pulled a petal off his sweet pea. He gave it a kiss before placing it on Wonwoo’s head and smiling, “I hope you get lucky and have a really good day, hyung.” And with that, he waved Wonwoo farewell and walked out into the slight drizzle outside.

Wonwoo smiled to himself, as he reached for the petal Mingyu placed on his head. _’What am I gonna do with you, Kim Mingyu?’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, writing a rap isn't as simple as you would think it to be. I tried, and that's what matters. Here's some blabber and fluff [and also the link to Wonwoo's rainy day playlist.](https://soundcloud.com/tayler-williams-2/sets/ad1g1t6230a9)
> 
> *update* Apparently all the music in the playlist except for two songs was taken off soundcloud. Just know it was full of some good slow jams.
> 
> Please tell me what you think! (you can do that here or even on tumblr (tayvengeance) or twitter (@tayvengenz)) I appreciate all of you that take the time to read this! Thank you!!


	4. You look good in my clothes

Wonwoo woke up still wearing Mingyu’s sweater. He didn’t remember falling asleep last night, but his PlayStation was still running and he hadn’t put pyjamas on. Once his shift ended at the flower shop, he had to run back to his dorm in the rain to finish some last-minute homework. After three hours of homework, Seokmin bugged him about getting food, so the two went out for some spicy chicken.

_“Wonwoo, when did you get so stylish?” Seokmin asked, motioning towards Mingyu’s sweater._

_Wonwoo felt warmth creeping in on his cheeks, bringing his sweater paws up to cover the blush that was surely encroaching, “It’s Mingyu’s.”_

_Seokmin nearly choked on his chicken, “Why do you have Mingyu’s sweater? Wonwoo, what happened at work today?”_

_Wonwoo didn’t move his hands from his face before he answered, “Not much, really.”_

_“Wonwoo…” Seokmin drew out his name, clearly not approving of his answer. He raised his eyebrow at Wonwoo, causing the elder to sigh with defeat and tell his friend about his day at work._

_“It was raining, and Mingyu came in to thank me for the bouquet. It started storming outside, so he stayed in the store with me for like an hour or two, and we just chilled. Well, until “It’s Okay” by BtoB came on and Mingyu pulled me over to dance with him. That ended with me in the roses. My shirt got all torn up, so he gave me his sweater.”_

_“Wait, he made you_ dance _with him?”_

_“That’s all you get from the story? That he danced with me? Seokmin, he pulled his shirt off and gave it to me and you’re concerned that we danced?”_

_Seokmin chuckled, “I need to meet this Mingyu kid. Gotta know what he is like if he’s trying to take my boy from me.”_

_Wonwoo snorted, “Seokmin-ah, my sweet dongsaeng. I was never yours to take.”_

_Seokmin clutched his chest, acting as though Wonwoo shot him in the heart, “Ah, hyung! So rude!”_

_The two spent the next few minutes laughing with each other. Wonwoo was glad to be able to talk so freely with Seokmin. It felt good to know that his friend wasn’t going to judge him for liking Mingyu, and he really appreciated having his company as he figured out his feelings._

_“No, but really, I wanna meet Mingyu. Next time you see him, you should invite him to have lunch with us,” Seokmin requested._

_Wonwoo smiled, “I will definitely bring him around.”_

Wonwoo stretched and got out of bed, a big yawn escaping his mouth as he did so. Once he was fully awake, he took the sweater off and shoved it in his book bag. Hopefully he would see Mingyu in passing today, so that he could return the younger boy’s sweater.

After a quick shower, Wonwoo pulled on a light sweater, and a small pout appeared on his lips when the sleeves didn’t cover his hands. He fixed his hair until it looked presentable, then banged on Seokmin’s door, yelling to his roommate that he was off to class.

Wonwoo didn’t pay much attention in his music engineering class, as his thoughts were anywhere but in that classroom. He kept replaying yesterday in his head as if it were a cheesy teen drama. Thinking about Mingyu dancing with him brought a smile to his face, and in extension, thinking about the way Mingyu caressed his back when cleaning him up made him blush profusely. How is it that this boy he barely even knew was able to affect him in such a way?

The professor called on him once during class, to which Wonwoo shamefully admitted to not paying attention. He didn’t mind it that much though, because as the class was ending, he saw Mingyu walking past his classroom. As the clock struck the allotted time for class to end, Wonwoo bolted out of his seat to catch up to Mingyu.

“Mingyu-ah!” Wonwoo yelled from down the corridor, hoping to get the younger’s attention before he lost sight of him.

Mingyu turned around, looking extremely confused. When he saw Wonwoo waving ferociously at him, a grin spread across his face. He motioned for his friend to stay where they were as he made his way over to Wonwoo. “Hyung! What are you doing here?”

Wonwoo chuckled, “I just got out of class and saw you walk past. It was a happy coincidence, because I wanted to ask if you would be interested in joining me and my friends for lunch today? Your friend can join too.”

Mingyu smiled and pulled Wonwoo over to where he had abandoned his friend. “First off, Junhui, this is my flower boy,” Mingyu told his friend as they approached him. “Wonwoo, this is my best friend Junhui, the Chinese exchange student from hell.”

“Yah, Mingyu! Why are you like this?” Junhui exclaimed.

Mingyu didn’t pay his question any attention. He simply gave his friend a smile and said, “We’re eating lunch with my flower boy today.”

“I have no say in this do I?” Junhui stated more than he asked.

“Nope. You’re a slave to my every whim. It’s the drawback of being my best friend.”

Junhui snorted, “Yah, remind me why I am.”

Mingyu rolled his eyes and motioned Wonwoo to lead the way to lunch. Wonwoo smiled as the two younger boys walked with him over to the usual picnic table. Mingyu was excitedly talking to Junhui about Wonwoo’s flower shop – and not for the first time, Wonwoo figured by the expression on Junhui’s face. “Hyung, tell him about your flowers! He doesn’t believe me that you know everything there is to know about flowers.”

“What do you want me to tell him, Mingyu?”

“Well, what is his special flower? You said mine was a sweet pea. What’s Junhui’s?”

Wonwoo gave Junhui an apologetic smile, “Ah, when is your birthday?”

“June,” he answered in a monotonous tone.

“Ah, your birth flower is a rose! Are you a lover, Junhui-ah?” Wonwoo wiggled his eyebrows at Junhui, who blushed at the question.

“Oh my god, he so is. If he were gay, I’d definitely fall in love with him. Junhui is such a ladies man though.”

Junhui rolled his eyes, “Whatever, Mingyu-ah.”

Wonwoo just laughed. He realized that he enjoyed the company of the two younger boys, and noticed how different Mingyu was with Junhui around. He had figured the boy to be flamboyant and bold, but he hadn’t realized just how intense he was as well.

As they neared the usual lunch spot, Wonwoo noticed another person was sitting at the lunch table with Seokmin and Jeonghan. Wonwoo didn’t recognize the boy, but he could tell that he was younger than the rest of them. His small face hidden under blonde curls gave him away.

“Wonwoo-ah!” Seokmin greeted as he reached hearing distance.

“Hey guys,” Wonwoo greeted as he stepped up to the table, Mingyu and Junhui following directly behind.

“Ah, Wonwoo, is this your Mingyu?” Jeonghan asked, standing up to get a better view of Mingyu.

“Hyung told you about me?” Mingyu asked, surprise evident in his voice.

“Yah, he told us all about you! You’re special to Wonwoo hyung because you let him tell you about the flowers,” Seokmin revealed.

A smile broke out across Mingyu’s face, and he turned to look at Wonwoo, “You can tell me about flowers any time you want, Wonwoo-ah!”

Junhui made a tsk sound from the other side of Wonwoo, clearly displaying his annoyance to Mingyu’s affectionate personality.

“Oh yeah, this is Mingyu’s best friend Junhui,” Wonwoo introduced the younger boy to his friends. “The dorky one is Seokmin, and the handsome one is Jeonghan… and I have no idea who the other guy is.”

“Guys, this is Minghao,” Jeonghan introduced. The younger boy gave a sheepish smile and waved back at the others. “Last class – you know, that freshman class I’m in – we were made partners for a project. We have to vlog about our lives while using context from the philosophers we read about each week. Get ready to see a lot of this beautiful face, because he’s gonna be around a lot,” he said and gestured to Minghao.

Minghao’s cheeks grew flushed as Jeonghan complimented him, and he nudged the older boy out of shyness. “Annyeong,” he greeted quietly.

After introductions were squared away, the boys all grabbed lunch from the cafeteria and ate their food around the picnic table. Wonwoo studied Mingyu the entire lunch hour; memorizing his laugh, the way he held his chopsticks, how he only smiled big enough to show his teeth when he was really happy… _’Woah there, Wonwoo. Don’t get too into this guy. He has the power to destroy you,’_ his mind warned him. Wonwoo shrugged off his conscious, and continued his obvious ogling. Mingyu looked up and made eye contact, giving Wonwoo a small smile and a wink. Wonwoo blushed and buried his face into Seokmin’s sleeve.

“Yah, Wonwoo. What’s wrong?” Seokmin asked at the sudden gesture.

Wonwoo chuckled into Seokmin’s sleeve, “Don’t mind me, I’m just a big ball of awkward.”

Mingyu laughed from across the table, “He’s embarrassed because I caught him staring at me. Isn’t that right Woonie?” he purred, letting the nickname roll off his tongue and smack Wonwoo in the face.

Wonwoo snapped up at the drop of the nickname, “No, don’t you dare call me Woonie. I will put up with most anything except that name. Mingyu-ah, I will hurt you myself if you even think about calling me Woonie again,” he threatened. They all knew it was an empty threat, and it earned him a smirk from Mingyu.

“Hurt me all you want, hyung. That threat will never stop me from using this nickname.”

“Wow, someone likes it dirty,” Jeonghan jokes from beside Mingyu. He received a slap from Mingyu at this comment, but figured it was worth it.

Wonwoo could only excuse himself from the table and his friends after that. He didn’t notice Mingyu following behind him until he grabbed his arm and pulled them face-to-face. “Wonwoo-ah, I’m sorry. I won’t call you Woonie. I was just joking.”

Wonwoo chuckled and brought his hand up to pat Mingyu’s head, “It’s okay. I was embarrassed, so I kind of snapped at you. I’m sorry about that. But you still can’t call me Woonie. Respect your elders,” he ended with a light smack against the back of Mingyu’s head.

Mingyu flashed his magnificent smile, “Okay, hyung. Now, come back to the table. You’re not even finished eating.”

Wonwoo rolled his eyes and followed Mingyu back to the table, where Jeonghan and Minghao were excitedly discussing their assignment with the group.

“So, each week we read about a philosopher, like what he believed and studied and whatnot. Then, we have to find some way to relate it back to ourselves in the form of a five-minute vlog,” Jeonghan explained. Minghao nodded along with him. “So, this means we may ask you guys to help us out sometimes. Please don’t leave us hanging. I need to pass this class in order to graduate.”

“Yah, of course we’ll help you, hyung!” Seokmin exclaimed.

Wonwoo rolled his eyes at his enthusiasm, “Just leave me out of your camera shots. I do not want my face associated with your words of wisdom and insight.”

Jeonghan stuck his tongue out at Wonwoo, who in turn did the same to the elder boy.

Once everyone had finished eating, they made their way back over to the dorms. None of the boys had another class, so they all decided to hang in the dorm common area and play a few rounds of Cards Against Humanity.

“Okay, okay, shut up. Lemme read my card,” Junhui demanded as he drew a black card from the deck. “Okay. In the new Disney Channel Original Movie, Hannah Montana struggles with blank for the first time. Okay, gimmie your cards. The dirtier, the better.”

Muffled snickering is heard around the circle, as each boy looks through their deck for the perfect answer. Minghao is the first to slap a card down, and the grin on his face lets the group know he thinks it’s a winning card. The other boys follow his lead, until Junhui is left with a pile of 5 white cards. “Okay, let’s see who the winner is. Hannah Montana struggles with… 72 virgins for the first time.” A small snicker works its way around the group.

“Hannah Montana struggles with…centaur porn for the first time.” The snicker grows louder with the second answer.

“Hannah Montana struggles with…Daniel Radcliffe’s delicious asshole for the first time.” Seokmin lets out a snort, which makes the other boys laugh.

“Hannah Montana struggles with…the unstoppable tide of Islam for the first time.”  
Seokmin’s laugh grows louder, causing all the other boys to laugh louder with him.

“And I already know this is the winner. Okay, Hannah Montana struggles with… A Sex Week workshop on using spatulas in the bedroom for the first time,” Junhui put the card down and looked around the group for the original cardholder. Minghao raised his hand, and the boys lost it.

“MINGHAO PLAYED THAT CARD? DAMN, I UNDERESTIMATED YOU, KID,” Mingyu exclaimed through his laughter.

Minghao chuckled and began to blush from all the attention. Jeonghan put his arm around the boy’s shoulder, “Not bad, not bad.”

“You all better watch out, there’s more where that came from,” Minghao threatened.

“Ah, Junhuiiiiiiiiiii. I’m hungryyyyyyy. You promised me ramyun today,” Mingyu whined.

Junhui rolled his eyes at his friend, “Mingyu, does it have to be now? We are playing a game.”

Mingyu pouted, and started nuzzling his face into his friend’s shoulder, “Ramyuuuuuuun.”

Junhui let out an exasperated sigh, “If you’ll excuse us, I have to take this whiny baby to get ramyun. Thank you for letting us hang out with you today, it was fun.”

“Bye, guys!” everyone waved at the two boys.

Wonwoo’s hand, he noticed, was covered in the sweater Mingyu had lent him. He remembered putting it on when they reached the common area because the temperature was slightly cooler inside. “Ah! Mingyu! I still have your sweater!”

Mingyu stopped and turned around to face Wonwoo. He gave the boy a once-over before smiling at him. “Keep it. It looks better on you, hyung,” he said with a wink before walking out of the common room.

Wonwoo balled his hands into fists, and sheepishly shoved them in his lap. Seokmin gave him a pat on the back, and Jeonghan was flashing okay hand symbols. Wonwoo rolled his eyes, _’Wow, thanks for that one, Mingyu.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! I've been in the middle of finals, but now i'm on summer break! :) Lets hope that means I update this more frequently. Anyways, thanks for reading:)


	5. Say Yes

It had been a week since Mingyu gave Wonwoo his sweater, and he hates to admit it, but he wore it every single night since… for comfort reasons. Seokmin eyed him the third night in a row, but didn't say anything to the elder boy. He definitely didn't say anything the fourth night either. Wonwoo knew his friend was dying to confront him, but made sure to expertly avoid him. 

Wonwoo’s Thursday night shift came, and he managed to duck out of the dorm in the sweater – which of course he had washed, it's not like he would keep the nice, mint and sage smell of Mingyu on the sweater – without Seokmin seeing. The girl who works all his opposite shifts commented that he looked nice that day before she clocked out and left. It filled Wonwoo’s ego, and boosted his moral for the night. 

His shift went by as usual, a couple people came in, but didn’t take the time to talk about the flowers. Wonwoo had become so accustomed to Mingyu popping in every time he worked, that it felt strange to not tell people about the flowers they were buying. 

It was about 20 minutes to close when Mingyu ran in. “Hyung! I need flowers!” he exclaimed, completely out of breath.

“Woah, settle down. Here, come sit behind the counter,” Wonwoo motioned to where he was previously sitting. Mingyu gladly made his way over and slumped down into the chair. “So, how can I help you?”

Mingyu chuckled, “Well there are many ways you can help me, but currently I am in need of a bouquet. You see, I just remembered that my friend has a vocal recital tomorrow night, and I need to get him some amazing flowers.”

Wonwoo smiled, “Ah, Seokmin has a vocal recital too! Must be the same one. You should come with me, Jeonghan and Minghao!”

Mingyu shot him a quick grin, “I’ll drag Junhui along. We can all sit together like best friends.”

“Hahahaha, yeah. Then join us for a celebratory dinner afterwards! Seokmin is picking dinner.”

Mingyu hopped up and slug an arm around Wonwoo’s neck, “Yah, hyung! We’ll join. Seungkwan isn’t one to turn down food, so he’ll definitely be down.”

“Ah, how is your friend? What is he like?”

Mingyu turned his head to meet Wonwoo’s eyes, “Oh, he’s a total diva.”

Wonwoo smiled, “Say no more.” He guided them over to the back of the store to begin work on the bouquet. “Now, would you like me to tell you about all the flowers I’m putting in this bouquet?”

Mingyu rolled his eyes, “I wouldn’t come to you if I didn’t want that.” He made sure to bop Wonwoo on the nose with his free hand as he said ‘you.’ “By the way, I see you’re wearing my sweater.”

Wonwoo ducked out from under Mingyu’s arm and started grabbing flowers, “You said it looked good on me.”

Mingyu chuckled, watching Wonwoo flit about the store, “Well, I’m not wrong.”

Wonwoo looked over his shoulder and shot Mingyu a wink before he walked over to the register counter to grab paper to wrap the flowers in. “Okay, so this white one with the gradient red centre is an amaryllis. It’s a very dramatic flower, and good to give someone with a flair for the dramatic. These red and white ones that look almost like a mix of a chrysanthemum and a rose are ranunculus. They represent the radiant personality I assume your friend has. These small filler flowers are stephanotis. They bring good luck, so I thought it would be nice to add them in. Lastly, this tier of pink flowers is called gladiolus. They represent strength in character, which is something every diva has.”

Mingyu grinned as he took the bouquet from Wonwoo, “Ah, hyung, I could listen to you talk about flowers forever. It makes you so happy, I love it. Tell me a bonus flower fact.”

Wonwoo paused for a moment, thinking of something that would be of interest to Mingyu. “Ah, this,” he said as he picked a small white flower off a potted plant near him, “is called Angelica, and it will help ward off any witch’s hex or spell.”

Mingyu wiggled his eyebrows at the elder boy, “Ah, the only spell I’m under is yours, hyung.”

Wonwoo smacked Mingyu upside the head, “Yah, stop that.”

Mingyu laughed, and made his way over to the opposite side of the register counter, “Okay, so what do I owe you today?”

“Hmm, I’ll take payment in the form of you paying for my meal tomorrow night.”

“Ah, free flowers but I have to feed my needy hyung?”

“It’s the price you gotta pay for getting all these free flowers. Because I feel like I haven’t made you purchase any flowers in a few days,” this time it was Wonwoo’s turn to bop Mingyu’s nose at the word ‘you.’

“Ah, I shoulda known I couldn’t get away on my good looks alone. There’s always a catch,” Mingyu joked.

“Yah, well, you can also help me close up. I will give you the key to lock the front doors. I gotta make a quick bouquet for Seokmin. I’ll tell you about the flowers later, but right now I need assistance in closing.” Wonwoo tossed his set of keys to Mingyu and told him which one to use on the main doors. 

Once Mingyu locked up and Wonwoo had his bouquet ready, they turned off the store lights and walked out the back and into the brisk night. Wonwoo made sure the security system was armed and that the door locked behind them before they started their walk back to the dorms. It was almost midnight, and Wonwoo rolled his eyes when he looked over and realized Mingyu was not dressed properly for the weather. As the minutes passed and Mingyu grew colder, he wrapped his arms around Wonwoo for warmth. Wonwoo gave in and took his parka off, wrapping it around Mingyu’s shoulders.

“Hyung? You need your parka. You’ll catch a cold,” Mingyu protested, but didn’t motion to give the parka back.

“Nah, I got this nice sweater and you to keep me warm. Plus, you can now consider us even.”

Mingyu pulled the parka on properly, and hooked arms with Wonwoo, pulling his shivering frame into the older boy’s side. “Tell me about Seokmin’s flowers. Especially this big, obnoxious flower.”

Wonwoo held up the bouquet so Mingyu could get a better view, “I’ll save the cool flower for last. I have some larkspurs which represent Seokmin’s beautiful spirit, some statices which will bring him success, freesias which connect with his spirit, and all these flowers have purple in them. Purple is an extravagant colour, a creative colour. All this along with the passion flower make my Seokmin bouquet.”

Mingyu eyed the bouquet, letting Wonwoo’s explanation sink in. “This is one of the most beautiful bouquets I have ever seen. You always put so much thought into every bouquet you make. He’s going to love this. I love it. I really like that passion flower. Will you give me one?”

Wonwoo chuckled, “Ask me again tomorrow, after you pay for your other flowers.”

“Ah, hyung, you tease!” Mingyu exclaimed, slapping Wonwoo’s chest with his free hand. They both laughed, and walked on to the dorms in a comfortable silence. Mingyu’s dorm came first, so once they approached it, Mingyu gave Wonwoo a hug and thanked him for the flowers.

“Yah, see you later tonight. Sleep well, Mingyu-ah,” Wonwoo waved goodbye as he turned away and walked on to his dorm. He didn’t expect to see Seokmin awake when he returned home, but his friend greeted him from the shared lounge futon. 

“Wonwoo-ah, are those for me?!” Seokmin exclaimed, jumping up from his lounging position to grab the flowers out of Wonwoo’s hand and examine them. “Oh my god, what the hell is this?”

Wonwoo laughed, “It’s a passion flower. I’ll let you guess why I added it.”

“This is the coolest flower I have ever seen in my entire life. I will display this bouquet proudly,” Seokmin smiled, and ran into his room to find something to put his flowers in. He came back with a tall coffee mug. Once it was filled with water, he placed it on the coffee table in the shared lounge, and plopped his new flowers inside the mug. Once he had the flowers arranged, he turned around and gave Wonwoo a thumbs-up. 

“Seokmin-ah, you need to get rest. You’ll need all your energy for your recital. Go to sleep, my friend,” Wonwoo commanded. Seokmin yawned, and waved goodnight to his friend. Once Seokmin’s door was shut, Wonwoo made his way to his own bed, taking the sweater off and throwing it into the laundry pile. After wearing it every day this week, he figured it was time to give the sweater some rest – and also Mingyu saw him wear it today, so it would be awkward if he tried to wear it again. 

Once Wonwoo was situated in his pyjamas, he crawled into bed and welcomed sleep.

# # #

Seokmin’s recital started at 7pm, but the boys all agreed to meet in the courtyard outside the auditorium by 6:30. It was now 6:40, and Wonwoo was leaning against the side of the building with Junhui and Mingyu, waiting for Jeonghan to make an appearance. 

“Yah, where is Jeonghan hyung?” Junhui whined. He was growing impatient with the elder boy with each passing minute.

“Wonwoo-ah, call him and see where he is. We wanna go in!” Mingyu whined along with his friend. 

Wonwoo rolled his eyes and was about to call Jeonghan, when the eldest boy yelled for them. He ran up to them, dragging an out of breath Minghao behind him. “Sorry we’re late. I slept through my alarm, and Minghao burst into my room about twenty minutes before we were supposed to arrive, yelling at me how irresponsible I was as I got ready in record time. Luckily our late arrival helped me bypass an awkward run in with my ex, and here we are.”

“Goodness, stop sleeping so much! You are the laziest hyung,” Junhui complained. 

Jeonghan walked over to him and ruffled his hair up. “Yah, respect your elders.”

“Well, thanks for bringing him over, Minghao. We would have missed our friends thanks to this lazy bum,” Wonwoo said as he gave Minghao a pat on the back. 

“Well we are here now, so let’s go grab seats!” Jeonghan cut in before another one of his friends could call him lazy. 

They all followed Jeonghan into the auditorium, and ended up sitting middle, centre stage. “Ah, just the perfect view of the stage,” Minghao smiled as they all took their seats. 

“Oh, did someone grab a program?” Mingyu leaned in and asked from the seat to Wonwoo’s left. 

“Yeah! I grabbed one!” Minghao reached across Jeonghan and Wonwoo to pass Mingyu the program.

“Ah! Look, it says Seokmin and Seungkwan are doing a song together!” Mingyu exclaimed as he looked through the program. He pointed to the part of the page he was reading and showed Junhui and Wonwoo on both sides of him. 

Junhui pulled the program out of Mingyu’s hands, “This says their song is written and performed by them. I didn’t know Seungkwan was a composer.”

Mingyu nodded, “Yeah! He just started taking a composition class this semester, and he seems to be having a good time. He told me he wanted to test his skills, and it looks like this was his big test.”

“Ah, this will be interesting. Wonwoo, give this back to Minghao,” Junhui mused and handed the program back to Wonwoo. Wonwoo obliged and handed it back to Minghao.

“Seokmin didn’t mention that his performance was a duet, did he?” Jeonghan asked Wonwoo.

Wonwoo shook his head in response, “No, he didn’t. I thought he was going on solo.” 

Jeonghan made an audible “hm” noise, then took the program from Minghao. “Ah, this says they go on third. Okay, I was worried we’d have to sit through a lot of performances and that I’d fall asleep.”

Minghao slapped him on the arm, “Hyung, there is absolutely no sleeping during the performances.”

The lights flickered, letting everyone know that there was only 5 minutes until lights went down and the recital started. Mingyu looked up, completely amazed. “Mingyu, there is someone in the booth behind us controlling the lights,” Wonwoo explained to the dumbfounded boy.

“Yah, I know that, Wonwoo-ah. I just think lighting cues are fascinating.”

Wonwoo smiled, “You find a lot of things fascinating. What is the most fascinating thing you’ve ever discovered?”

Mingyu smiled, and turned to meet Wonwoo’s eyes, but his answer was cut off by Minghao yelling at Wonwoo to make Jeonghan stop making dirty jokes. 

“Hyung, you are so embarrassing! Wonwoo-ah, make him stoooooooop! I shouldn’t have to be subjected to this!” Minghao whined. 

With careful precision and cat-like movements, Wonwoo flicked the elder boy on the forehead, “He’s gonna stop hanging around us you if you keep this up, hyung.”

Jeonghan rubbed his forehead where it was now red and slightly stinging, “Ah, I was just joking around!”

“Yah, shut up everyone, the recital is starting,” Junhui commanded from the left of Mingyu. They all obeyed his order, and waited silently for the emcee to come out and open the recital. 

The first girl to sing – who the boys learned from Junhui was also an exchange student from China –performed an old Chinese song [Yue Liang Dai Biao Wo De Xin.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hj4bnnek9MU) The boys could see Junhui mouthing the words along with her, and he looked to be quite enamored with the girl. Wonwoo made a mental note to ask Junhui about her afterwards. 

The next performance was a brother and a sister duet who sang a cover of [ Standing Egg’s “Stay Awake.” ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooVDAy8lZJE)They kept the tone very light and mellow, and Wonwoo thought their voices blended very nice together. Jeonghan looked as though he was on the verge of slumber, so Wonwoo made sure to jab him in the side. “Hyung, no sleeping!” he whispered. Jeonghan stuck his tongue out at Wonwoo, but sat up and turned his attention to the stage, where the second group was walking off stage.

Seokmin and Seungkwan walked on next, and both took their positions behind the mics. The piano began playing, and Seungkwan opened the song with a sweet alto voice. _‘This is the kind of voice I want singing me to sleep,’_ Wonwoo thought. Once Seokmin came in, Wonwoo realized how perfect these two were as a duet. He knew Seokmin had quite the range, and if Seungkwan was anything like his friend, they would be able to sing anything together and have it sound like magic.

Sure enough, the chorus hit, and Wonwoo was entirely blown away. Both boys hit their soprano notes like it was nothing, and they created a harmony that you only hear in the greatest of songs. 

_saranghae saranghae_  
_eonjena ireohge neoreul gidarigo isseo_  
_malhaejwo naege Just Stay_  
_geudaeyeo Say Yes_

_Can You Say_  
_Can You Say_  
_naui modeun bicci dwae jun neol_

All Wonwoo could do was watch and listen in awe as they continued to sing, completely transfixed. He glanced around to see the rest of his friends just as glued to them as he was. They were. 

_geudaeyeo Say geudaeyeo Say_  
_saranghae Say Yes_  
_Yeah. Can You Say_

They finished their song, and honestly, Wonwoo didn’t think anyone could top that performance. It was the most magical four minutes of his life, and he was damn sure it wasn’t just because Seokmin was his best friend that he was thinking this. The applause they received would end up being the biggest of the entire recital.

They sat through the next hour, buzzing with excitement to meet their friends. All five boys were excitedly waiting for the last performance to end so they could congratulate Seokmin and Seungkwan. 

At the exact moment the last performance ended, the five boys were up on their feet and out the auditorium. As they burst through the doors, they found Seungkwan and Seokmin sitting on a bench to the side of the auditorium. Jeonghan ran over and grabbed Seokmin’s head in the hook of his arm, capturing him in a headlock. “Ah, hyung! What are you doing?” Seokmin cried from Jeonghan’s hold.

“Seokmin-ah! You were so good! I have never been so proud of my dongsaeng!”

“Seungkwannie! I’m so proud of you!” Mingyu cooed from a similar position to Jeonghan. 

Wonwoo laughed as he watched both boys get smothered by their hyungs. Minghao, Junhui and himself all waited for Jeonghan and Mingyu to finish smothering their friends before stepping forward and clapping them on the back. 

“I knew Seokmin was good, but you two together was probably the most transfixing, beautiful, fantastic performance I have ever had the pleasure of witnessing. Wow. You blew me away,” Wonwoo complimented. 

Seokmin smiled, “Thank you, hyung! It means a lot to us. We worked really hard to write this song and even harder to make sure we sang it perfectly. It really means the world to me that you enjoyed it.”

“Ah, thank you for your kind words,” Seungkwan faced Wonwoo with a bow.

Wonwoo put a hand on the younger boy’s shoulder, “Seungkwan, correct?” The boy nodded and straightened up. “Aigoo, you are fantastic. I’m Wonwoo, by the way. I hope you were told, but we’re taking you out with us for a celebratory dinner.”

Seungkwan smiled wide at Wonwoo’s words, “I wasn’t told, but thank you for letting me come along!”

Mingyu jumped forward and draped his arms around Wonwoo and Seungkwan’s necks, “So hyung, where are we going?”

“We are going for Chinese!” Seokmin answered for Wonwoo. “I can already taste the Wenchang Chicken.”

“Don’t worry, he found a restaurant close by, so it’s not a long walk,” Wonwoo assured the others.

Junhui perked up at the mention of Chinese food, and sped up to walk with Seokmin. Mingyu made a joke about his ‘Chinese showing,’ to which Junhui gave him a deserved ‘fuck you.’ Jeonghan laughed at the interaction, and asked Minghao if he was excited to have some Chinese cuisine. The younger boy smiled and nodded his head. 

It took them about 5 minutes to walk to the small Chinese restaurant off campus. When they walked in it was nearly empty, save for a few people in random booths. The boys found a table big enough for the seven of them, and took a seat. 

Wonwoo ended up ordering the beef noodle soup, and Mingyu decided he was going to share with Wonwoo – just to get out of paying for two meals. Seokmin told Seungkwan he would share his favourite meal with him as a celebration for doing well together. Jeonghan convinced Minghao they both needed dumplings – because Minghao wouldn’t be able to finish his, and Jeonghan would end up wanting more. This left Jun, who ordered Hunan spicy beef.

They cheered when their food was brought out, and began eating straight away. Wonwoo placed the bowl of soup between Mingyu and himself, both taking bites at un-coordinated times. They bumped heads a few times, and were almost subjected to a scene very similar to that of Lady and the Tramp at least twice. 

Jeonghan decided about halfway through their meal that he would try to feed a dumpling to Minghao. Minghao tried to refuse the elder’s attempt, but ended up letting Jeonghan feed him when he realized nothing would stop him from trying. As he bit into the dumpling, juice ran down his chin. Before he could grab his napkin, Jeonghan’s thumb was already racing across his chin, catching the juice on his finger. Minghao locked eyes with Jeonghan as he brought his now dirty thumb up to his lips to suck the juice off. 

Junhui seemed to be the only one to witness the moment between the two, and swiftly kicked Jeonghan under the table. Jeonghan broke eye contact from Minghao long enough to shoot daggers at Junhui. The Chinese boy just smirked and went back to eating his food. 

After about an hour of chatter and joking, they all finished eating, and paid for their meals, thanked the staff and walked out. It had grown to be close to ‘lights out’ time in the dorms, so the boys decided to make their way back. As they all came across their separate dorms, the boys broke off, bidding the others a good night and congratulating Seokmin and Seungkwan once more on their fantastic performance.

Mingyu, however, walked past his dorm and continued walking next to Wonwoo. The elder boy didn’t mention anything, but gave Mingyu a confused look as he realized the boy didn’t leave. “Seokmin, keep going, I gotta talk to Mingyu for a moment. I’ll see you back in the room.”

Seokmin shot Wonwoo a thumbs up, before he continued walking. Wonwoo looked up at Mingyu, hoping his confusion was coming across in his eyes. 

“Okay, so I know you’re probably confused right now,” Mingyu began, “but I have a good reason for keeping you.”

“Go on…”

“Okay, so I was looking around online for something fun to do, because I feel like you work a lot and don’t really spend much time out with your friends as you would like,” Mingyu explained, keeping his eyes trained on his hands. “So I thought it would be fun if we went and did something exciting together.”

“And what did you come up with, Mingyu-ah?” Wonwoo asked, looking over at Mingyu.

Mingyu finally looked up from his hands and smiled at Wonwoo, “You’ll never believe what I found. It’s actually probably the greatest thing in the world.”

Wonwoo rolled his eyes, “Would you just tell me what we are going to do?”

“I’m taking you to the PKM Art Gallery in Samcheong-dong to see a really _really_ cool exhibit.”

“Art gallery? Wait, Mingyu, what is this exhibit?”

Mingyu grabbed Wonwoo’s hands as he began to excitedly tell his friend about the exhibit, “It is by this artist from London, and all she does is artwork or sculptures that are inspired by nature. She uses flowers a lot in her work, and I know what a sucker you are for flowers.”

“Oh my god, Mingyu.”

“Wait, I need to finish! This exhibit features flowers, but they are hanging from the ceiling. We are going to be walking through hanging vines of flowers!”

Wonwoo wasn’t able to contain the smile that broke out on his face, so he let it grow as Mingyu told him about the flower exhibit. “Mingyu-ah. This is such a thoughtful thing. I hope you know I am so humbled and immensely excited to experience this with you! You are a fantastic friend.”

Mingyu smiled right back at his friend, giving him the smile that he had grown to love over the past week. “I’m glad you’re excited. I knew this would be a great gift. It’s also a kind of ‘thanks for giving me so many free flowers, let me make it up to you,’ thing, so… Yeah.” He let go of Wonwoo’s hands and placed his left hand behind his neck.

“Well, when are we going?”

“You have two days to prepare for ultimate flower art.”

Wonwoo chuckled, “Ah, two days? How will I contain my excitement?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll come visit you at work and help you keep your mind off it,” Mingyu said with a wink. 

“Oh, please do. I thoroughly enjoy your company. And I’m also a sucker for giving you flowers, so,” Wonwoo smiled, and rustled Mingyu’s hair.

“Ayiiish, stop hyung. Well, that’s all I needed to say. I’ll let you get back to your dorm and squeal over the exhibit to Seokmin,” Mingyu said, pulling Wonwoo in for a hug before he left. “Goodnight, hyung!”

Wonwoo smiled as Mingyu broke the hug and walked away to his dorm, “Goodnight, Mingyu.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WELL THIS TOOK LONGER TO WRITE THAN I HAD EXPECTED. I finally hit that 4k word chapter though, so... yeah. 
> 
> I'm so freaking in love with Say Yes, it's not even funny. like it's so disgusting how much I love this song. So i had to write it into the fic. I am absolute garbage. I know. BUT IT LOOKS LIKE WE GET A FULL MEANIE CHAPTER NEXT, SO LOOK FORWARD TO THAT MY FRIENDS.
> 
> as always, thank you for reading. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!!!


	6. Are You Sure This Isn't A Date?

Wonwoo awoke to Seokmin’s voice. He could hear singing in the living space they shared, and it was enough to force him to drag his body out of bed and investigate. He stepped into his slippers and walked out of his room, only to be met with Seokmin and Jeonghan dancing about the room. “Bae Bae” was playing in the background, but Seokmin’s voice overpowered the small speaker his phone was hooked up to. Wonwoo paused a moment to watch his two friends flit about, taking in the way they were both able to move their bodies to the groove of BIGBANG. _’Ah, Mingyu is a dance major, I wonder if he’s ever danced with these two.’_

 

Mingyu. Wonwoo slapped his hand against his forehead, upset with himself that he had forgotten his plans for the day when he woke up.

 

He left the scene as “Sorry, Sorry” came on and Jeonghan and Seokmin tried their best to mimic Super Junior’s dance. He rolled his eyes and smiled to himself as he went back into his room to figure out what he was going to wear. Wonwoo opened his closet and stood in front of it for a good 5 minutes, going over every possible clothing combo he could think of. _’Why am I stressing over this? This isn’t a date… right?.’_

 

“ _…_ Aw, fuck!” he yelled, not at the possibility of going on a date with Mingyu later on, but simply at the fact that he was making such a big deal out of it. As he was about to give up all hope, there was a small knock on his door and Jeonghan appeared in his doorway.

 

“Uh, are you okay?” he asked as he walked over to where the younger boy was, closing the door behind him.

 

“Honestly, I’m feeling kind of stressed out,” Wonwoo admitted, turning his head to the ground.

 

“Your hyung is here to listen to all your problems. Talk to me, Wonwoo-ah.”

 

Wonwoo sighed, then took a seat on his bed. “So, Mingyu said he found an amazing art exhibit that he wants to take me to, and it’s all about flowers – which is why he thought of me when he found it.”

 

Jeonghan nodded, letting Wonwoo know he was listening, and took a seat next to his friend. “So, what has you stressed out?”

 

“Well, it’s kind of the fact that I don’t know if this is a date or not. Like, am I going on a _date_ with Kim Mingyu? Or am I just going to the PKM art gallery with my _pal_ Kim Mingyu? I can’t figure out the semantics, and it’s driving me mad.” Wonwoo let his head drop onto Jeonghan’s shoulder, a deep sigh escaping his lips.

 

“Why don’t you just ask Mingyu-ah?” Jeonghan suggested.

 

Wonwoo shook his head, “No, I can’t do that. What if it’s not a date? That is not a question you can just _ask_ your friends. I can’t just be like, ‘Oh hey Mingyu, I know we have absolutely no romantic relationship whatsoever and that we are currently just close friends, but are we going on a date tonight?’ Who does that?”

 

“Uh, I did when Minghao asked me to go over and watch horror films with him. We all know he doesn’t do horror, so I was a little shocked that he would request that genre. So when he nervously opened the door to his dimly-lit dorm, and I saw he had set up his bed for us to sit on together, I looked him in the eye and said ‘this is totally a date, isn’t it?’ And his cheeks turned that cute pink colour they do whenever he gets embarrassed, and I let out a small chuckle and spooned him all night long.”

 

Wonwoo smiled, “Did you vlog about that?”

 

Jeonghan nudged Wonwoo off his shoulder, “Shut up. I’m done talking about me and Minghao. We need to focus on you and Mingyu.”

 

Wonwoo groaned, standing up and walking back over to his closet, “Fiiiiiine. At least help me find something to wear to a possibly not date.”

 

Jeonghan stood up and made his way over to his distraught friend, gazing into the wardrobe alongside him. “Yah, what about that one button up you have. The one with the words and little pictures on it.”

 

“The black one?”

 

“Yeah! You wore it when we did that performance for class last semester. Pair it with some dark wash jeans and your black boots and you will look damn fine if it’s a date, or if it’s not, perfect for a night in an art gallery.” Jeonghan smiled as he finished giving advice to his friend, and began to make his way out of Wonwoo’s room. “Oh, and before I leave I have to ask you something.”

 

Wonwoo looked over at his friend as he grabbed the requested shirt off its hanger, “What is it?”

 

“Do you want this to be a date?”

 

It was a simple question, but it caught Wonwoo off guard. Did he want this to be a date? The obvious answer should be no, since he and Mingyu were friends and it’s unusual for friends to be romantically involved. But the longer he thought about it, the more he wanted to tell Jeonghan that he did want it to be a date. Wonwoo ended up shrugging and walked past Jeonghan into the shared bathroom. “I guess we’ll find out,” he said before he shut the door behind him.

 

Wonwoo leaned against the bathroom door and closed his eyes, letting a sigh escape his lips. He took a moment for himself, slowly gathering the courage to get in the shower and continue with his day. Once he had composed himself, he set his neatly folded clothes on the counter and turned the shower on. He stripped himself of his pyjamas, and stepped into the warm water spraying down from the shower head. The water dripped down his body in rivulets, washing away his anxiety for the night. So what if it ended up being a date, isn’t that what he really wants? But what if it ends up not being a date and Mingyu is just that nice of a friend that he would consider taking Wonwoo to an art gallery to see some flowers? Sure it would be disappointing to know Mingyu had no romantic interest in him, but it would still be a nice night with his friend. _‘So what,_ ’ Wonwoo wondered, _‘am I so damn nervous about?’_

 

Rejection. That was the bottom line of it all. Wonwoo couldn’t possibly handle being rejected by Mingyu. He thought about how his life had changed since he first met Mingyu as he scrubbed shampoo into his hair, realizing he had recently purchased a floral scented soap from the ladies’ selection. That was new, and he remembered the reason he did it was because one night at the flower shop, Mingyu hugged him and said the scent of flowers always reminded him of Wonwoo.

 

He chuckled and rinsed the soap out of his hair, cursing himself for being too easily influenced by Mingyu’s words. He shut the water off, threw open the shower curtain, and dried himself off with his towel. Once he soaked up most of the water on his body, he pulled on his underwear and pants. Next, he made sure to put on deodorant and sprayed a little extra cologne than usual – which he had to change to an earthier scent to go along with his new floral shampoo. After he shaved and dried his hair, he pulled on a black t-shirt and buttoned up his blouse over it. He spent the next ten minutes putting on some simple makeup and fixing his hair until he found a style that suited him.

 

With a shrug, Wonwoo grabbed his pyjamas and threw them into the hamper before making his way into the living area to grab his phone and wallet before leaving. He paused a moment to search for his dorm key.

 

“Hey hyung, where are you off to?” Seokmin questioned, throwing Wonwoo the dorm key he was searching for.

 

“I gotta find Junhui. There is a certain matter I need to discuss with him.”

 

“He’s gonna go ask Junhui if Mingyu likes him,” Jeonghan interpreted.

 

“Aw~! Wonwoo is in love!” Seokmin said in a sing-song voice.

 

“I am not in love; I just need to clarify some things before I have a night out with my friend Mingyu.”

 

“Yikes, denial doesn’t suit you, hyung.”

 

Wonwoo rolled his eyes and made his way over to the door, “Whatever. It doesn’t currently matter. I’ll talk to you two later. Like, after I get back from the art gallery.”

 

“Okay, but let us know your fate when you learn it!” Jeonghan requested as Wonwoo shut the door behind him. He paused and pulled out his phone, shooting Junhui a text message.

 

**To: Jun**

**Message:**

**Where are you hiding? I have to ask you something important.**

**To: Mingyu’s Flower Boy**

**Message:**

**How important?**

**To: Jun**

**Message:**

**Detrimental to my sanity and well-being**

**To: Mingyu’s Flower Boy**

**Message:**

**I’m in the library. Also I’m not a therapist, why are you involving me in your problems?**

**To: Jun**

**Message:**

**You’ll find out when I get there and involve you, now won’t you** ☆〜（ゝ。∂）

**To: Mingyu’s Flower Boy**

**Message:**

**Aw, fuck not you too. I get enough of those emoticons from Mingyu.**

**To: Jun**

**Message:**

（＾ν＾）

 

Wonwoo made his way towards the library, continuing to spam Junhui with emoticons on his short journey over. He nearly ran over to Junhui when he entered the library, and was told to slow his pace by both the librarian and the assistant librarian. Once he reached Junhui, he pulled his friend over to a secluded aisle where they could speak in hushed tones. “Okay, I have an important question to ask you, and I need you to promise you won’t make fun of me or harass me about it because honestly it’s taking all I got not to run right back out of here without even asking you.”

 

“Oh my god, Wonwoo, just ask,” Junhui whispered back with an edge to his tone.

 

Wonwoo took a deep breath, “Does Mingyu like me?”

 

Junhui stared at him with a puzzled look, “Uh, yeah? You’re friends, right? He’d have to at least tolerate you to be visiting you at work every chance he got.”

 

Wonwoo shook his head, “No, I mean like, does he _like_ me? Like, would he ever ask me out on a date to the art gallery to see an exhibition created with flowers?”

 

Junhui chuckled quietly, “Are you asking me if you’re about to go on a date with Mingyu?”

 

“Yes! I have been in high-anxiety mode all morning because I didn’t know whether or not Mingyu thought of this as a date or just a friendly gesture. Please, ease my suffering and tell me!” Wonwoo pleaded, getting down on all fours and bowing his head to the floor.

 

“Yah, get up. Don’t disgrace yourself over whether a boy likes you or not. Honestly, I couldn’t tell you what Mingyu has in store for you tonight, but I can tell you that you are very special to him. And I can tell by the way this stresses you out that he is very special to you as well.”

 

Wonwoo stood up, adjusting his blouse and wiping any wrinkles out of his pants. “Thanks, Jun.”

 

Junhui smiled and gave Wonwoo a pat on the back, “I’m sorry I couldn’t ease your suffering, but I do know you’ll have a good time tonight. Just try not to worry about it all too much. That will only end up doing you more harm than good. Have fun, and enjoy some hanging flowers with the boy you like. Who cares if it’s a date or not, as long as you have a good time and make some good memories, yah?”

 

Wonwoo smiled, and gave Junhui a big hug, “You’re right. Thanks, Jun!” And with a curt nod, Wonwoo made his way out of the library. He wasn’t supposed to meet Mingyu for another half hour, so he figured he’d spend his extra time at the flower shop, and create the perfect bouquet for Mingyu.

 

When he entered the flower shop, his mom welcomed him with a warm smile. “What are you doing here? You asked for the day off!”

 

Wonwoo walked over to the counter and pulled his mom into a hug, “Ah, eomma, I need flowers for my friend Mingyu!”

 

“Yah, is this the boy you’ve been sneaking free flowers to for the past week? Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

 

Wonwoo let his mom go, and a blush creeped onto his cheeks. “I made him pay for the last bouquet.”

 

His mom rolled her eyes, “Yeah like half price.”

 

Wonwoo’s eyes met the ground, and he bowed his head “I’m sorry, eomma. I’ll make him pay.”

 

Wonwoo’s mom slapped him on the back of the head, “Of course you won’t! If you like this boy, give him all the free flowers you want.”

 

Wonwoo stood up straight, a smile spreading across his face, “Good! Because I’m gonna need a dozen sweet peas!”

 

“However, I will make you pay for flowers. 30,000 won.”

 

Wonwoo rolled his eyes and pulled out 30,000 won for his mom, and she gave him his bouquet of sweet peas. She smiled and placed her hand on Wonwoo’s cheek after he took the flowers and wished him good luck on his date. Wonwoo screamed internally at the word “date,” cursing Mingyu for not clarifying what this outing was two nights ago when he offered the tickets.

 

Wonwoo walked nervously to Mingyu’s dorm, a silent battle raging in his head over the outcome of his day with Mingyu. He wondered what his friend’s reaction would be if he flat out asked him the question he was dying to get an answer to, and whether it would be worth risking their friendship for. _‘No, I won’t ask him. If he says anything about it then great, otherwise I am keeping my mouth shut.’_ Wonwoo made up his mind as he approached Mingyu’s dorm, sending him a text as he arrived.

 

**To: My Favourite Customer**

**Message:**

**I’m outside the dorm. Let me in!** （＾∇＾）

 

**To: My Flower Boy**

**Message:**

**One sec. My hair is a disaster.** (＞人＜;)

 

**To: My Favourite Customer**

**Message:**

**I’m wilting out here** (-｡-;

 

**To: My Flower Boy**

**Message:**

**Oh no! My most precious flower!** (・Д・)ノ **(I’ll be right down, give me one sec)**

A minute and twenty more exchanged emoticons later, Mingyu opened the door to let Wonwoo into the dorm, and they rode up the elevator together. Mingyu didn’t say anything about the bouquet in Wonwoo’s hand, but the older boy figured he knew they were for him. Once the elevator reached the fourth floor, the two boys stepped out, and Mingyu lead Wonwoo to his dorm down the hall. They stopped in front of room 17, and Mingyu fumbled for his key, finally finding it in his back pocket.

 

As Mingyu worked on opening the door, Wonwoo took a moment to look his friend over, noticing his fashion choice matched Wonwoo’s pretty well. He wore a white collared blouse under a fitted charcoal sweater, with his sleeves rolled up his arms alike to Wonwoo. Wonwoo also took in the way Mingyu’s dark jeans fit him nice and snug, hoping his friend didn’t notice the way his eyes lingered on his hips.

 

He did.

 

“Yah, what’s wrong? Do these pants look weird with this top? Should I change?” Mingyu worried.

 

“N-no, it looks fine… Er, you look fine. Ah, everything is fine, Mingyu-ah,” Wonwoo stumbled through his words, embarrassed that Mingyu had caught him staring at his hips. He was thankful however, that he had taken it as him looking over his clothes – which Wonwoo had intended to do before he became entranced by Mingyu’s lower-half.

 

Mingyu smiled, “Good. Yah, you had me worried for a sec. It took me long enough to figure out this outfit, and I don’t think I have it in me to spend another minute in my closet. Oh my god, my hair! I almost forgot! I have to tame the beast!” Mingyu exclaimed, as he covered his head and pushed open the door, throwing his keys on the small side table next to the doorway and making a beeline to his bathroom. Wonwoo smiled as he watched his friend zoom away, casually walking into the dorm room and shutting the door behind him. He looked around the small living area, taking in the futon and television Mingyu had set up. Wonwoo wondered if Mingyu would ever invite him over for a movie night as he noticed the shelf full of moves next to the television.

 

He smiled as he imagined him and Mingyu sitting on the small futon together, wrapped in a blanket and enjoying their favourite Park Boyoung movies together. Wonwoo’s head on Mingyu’s shoulder, hands secretly intertwined under the blanket-

 

“Yah, I’m ready to go!” Mingyu exclaimed as he stepped out of the bathroom, hair parted on one side and feathered over. Wonwoo stopped his daydreaming and admired his friend, giving him a smile and a thumbs up.

 

“Oh yeah, these flowers are for you, Mingyu-ah. I know I’ve given you sweet peas before, but you’ll probably get a lot of those from me since they are _your_ flower.”

 

Mingyu smiled and took the bouquet from Wonwoo, “I love them, hyung!” A single petal fell as the flowers were transferred, which Mingyu picked up placed a kiss upon. He closed his eyes as the petal bushed his lips, then carefully set it on Wonwoo’s head, smiling at his display when he was finished.

 

“What did you wish for?” Wonwoo asked, taking the petal off his head and admiring it.

 

“I can’t tell you, hyung! It won’t come true!” Mingyu blushed.

 

Wonwoo smiled, admiring his bashful friend. “Secrets don't make friends, Mingyu-ah. And in extension, friends don’t make secrets.”

 

Mingyu rolled his eyes, nudging his friend with a smile plastered across his face, “I’ll let you know when my wish comes true, Wonwoo-ah.”

 

“Whatever you say.” Wonwoo grabbed the exhibit tickets off the small side table Mingyu’s keys were strewn upon, and handed them to his friend, “So, are you ready to go?”

 

Mingyu nodded, taking the tickets from Wonwoo and reaching for his keys he had discarded on the table. “Let’s get out of here! It’ll take like half an hour for us to get there. Let’s go flag down a taxi, because there is no way in hell I’m walking to Samcheong-dong.”

 

Wonwoo laughed, and followed his friend out of the room and back into the elevator. They joked about better modes of transportation than walking, Wonwoo suggested riding giant tortoises with arthritis would get them to the PKM gallery faster than if they walked. Mingyu burst out into a fit of laughter all the way out of the building and off campus.

 

They were able to grab a taxi fairly quick, but were met with unfortunate traffic. The obstacle added an extra 15 minutes to their drive, but the two spent their time talking about flowers.

 

“Hey hyung, why do you know so much about flowers?” Mingyu questioned after 20 minutes full of asking Wonwoo what certain flowers represent.

 

Wonwoo smiled, “Well, my mom has run that shop since before I was born, and once I had learned how to read, I took out all of her botany books and learned about the flowers I lived around. I was always in the shop with her, handing out pretty flowers to customers and telling them what kind they were and what they represented. People find that cute when you’re 5, but once you reach a certain age they regard you with a different mindset. The look on their face screams ‘shouldn’t you be playing ddakji with your friends little boy?’” Wonwoo paused a moment, needing to take a minute to calm himself after bringing up his childhood memories.

 

“Ah, hyung I’m sorry I made you remember unhappy memories. If it means anything, I think it’s cute when you talk about flowers.” Mingyu blushed as he complimented his friend.

 

Wonwoo smiled, thankful that Mingyu appreciated him and his crazy flower facts. “It means everything, Mingyu-ah.”

 

The boys spent the next ten minutes in comfortable silence, occasionally stealing glances at the other. When they arrived at the gallery, they thanked the driver – Wonwoo insisted on paying since Mingyu got the tickets – and made their way into the gallery. The young girl working at the front desk checked their admission tickets, and guided them to another room in the building. It was a fairly big room, with white walls and bright lighting. All the better to look at the thousands of flowers hanging above their heads.

 

Wonwoo was left dumbstruck. All the flowers were seasonal, so the room was filled with the rich, warm colours radiating off the summer flowers. [Asters](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Asteraceae_-_Aster_amellus.JPG), [dahlias](https://assets-production-webvanta-com.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/000000/51/74/slider_detail/uploads/plant/1438003634-648fbf2b8686692ff/Dahlia%20Garden%20Festival.jpg), [coneflower](http://extension.msstate.edu/sites/default/files/news/southern-gardening/2015/sg20150302_powwow300.jpg)s, [penstemon](http://www.laspilitas.com/images/grid24_24/10892/images/plants/penstemon/penstemon-rostriflorus.jpg), [gaura](http://www.swallowtailgardenseeds.com/assets/gaura_the_bride_22.jpg), and [coreopsis arkansa](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Coreopsis_lanceolata_Sterntaler.JPG) all hung from the ceiling with such purpose, Wonwoo began to get emotional. It was such a beautiful sight to behold. The way the artist blended the purple and pink flowers into the vibrant white, yellow and orange flowers was flawless. Wonwoo wondered if he had ever seen anything more beautiful in his entire life, then he looked over to his left.

 

Mingyu was standing under the flowers with his head tilted up to gaze at the beauty before him, giving Wonwoo a nice view of his neck. The light reflected off the petals and fell onto Mingyu, illuminating him in a glow Wonwoo would almost call holy. Mingyu’s gaze dropped from the flowers to Wonwoo, and a toothy smile found its way across his face. He walked over to Wonwoo, still grinning like an excited child on Christmas and grabbed both of his hands, “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

 

Wonwoo’s gaze never left Mingyu’s as he let his friend grab his hands and inch closer and closer to him. Wonwoo almost blurted ‘ _Yeah, you are,’_ before common sense punched him in the hippocampus. “Yeah, it is. Which flower is your favourite, Mingyu-ah?”

 

Mingyu glanced back up and pointed towards the closest of his favourite flower he could see, “I like this yellow one with the dark ring around the centre. If I were to pick any of these to give you, that would be it.”

 

A small smile crept across Wonwoo’s face, “Hey, Mingyu-ah. Is this a date?”

 

Mingyu shot his friend a confused look, “Why do you ask, hyung?”

 

Wonwoo let out a small chuckle, “Only because you just told me you’d offer me a coreopsis arkansa, which just so happens to be the perfect flower to confess love at first sight.”

 

Mingyu’s face turned a brilliant shade of pink, and he turned his head away, coyly avoiding the elder’s gaze. “Hypothetically speaking, let’s say this _was_ a date. What would you do next?” Mingyu questioned, still avoiding Wonwoo’s eyes.

 

Wonwoo looked down at their still intertwined hands and back up at Mingyu. He figured that of all times to be bold and courageous, this would be his best chance. Wonwoo walked back under the flower exhibit and pulled Mingyu along with him, quickly scanning the room to make sure no one was looking at them. Luckily for Wonwoo, there were only two other couples in the room with them, and they were all too busy with each other to notice the two awkward boys standing under the flowers. Mingyu finally brought his eyes up to Wonwoo’s shooting him a puzzled glance. Wonwoo smiled at his friend, “Hypothetically I would pull you out under the flowers, probably try pull a cheesy line about flowers like in the dramas, then kiss you.”

 

Mingyu looked shocked at the answer he received from Wonwoo, obviously not expecting his friend to be so honest. “Ah, I see.”

 

Wonwoo raised an eyebrow and motioned his head towards Mingyu, “What about you, Mingyu-ah?”

 

But instead of an answer, Wonwoo is met with Mingyu leaning in and pressing his lips against Wonwoo’s. The warmth of Mingyu’s lips against his nearly melts his body as Wonwoo realized that he had secretly been hoping this was a date all along. As soon as it happened, Mingyu pulled away, making it a quick kiss, but it was still enough to turn both boys into giggling messes afterwards. “That is exactly what I would do if this were a date,” Mingyu replies with a wide smile.

 

Wonwoo returned the smile, slowly leaning back in to Mingyu, “What a shame this isn’t a date.”

 

Mingyu let go of Wonwoo’s hands and let his trail up the front of Wonwoo’s shirt, “Yah, who said it wasn’t?” And with that, Wonwoo’s lips once again found themselves locked with Mingyu’s. The grip Mingyu had on Wonwoo’s shirt tightened, as he pulled the boy he liked closer to him, and Wonwoo’s hands found themselves at both sides of Mingyu’s face. The boys’ kiss didn’t last much longer before they were yelled at to stop distracting from the exhibit and asked to make their way through the rest of the gallery. They shared a smile as they continued through, hand-in-hand, admiring the rest of the art the gallery had exhibited. After an hour had passed since their arrival, the two boys walked out of the gallery, not really minding the hour walk back to the university.

 

They didn’t share any more kisses that night, just the pleasure of one another’s company. About halfway back to the university, they stopped at a convenience store for some quick ramyun. The stop may have added an extra half hour to their walk home, but as long as Mingyu stayed by his side, Wonwoo knew he could make it back in one piece.

 

When they ended up in front of Mingyu’s dorm, Wonwoo felt a small tug in his chest knowing this is where he would have to part ways with Mingyu for the night. “Hey, thanks for taking me not on a date. I had a really great time tonight.”

 

Mnigyu smiled, embracing the older boy in a bone-crushing hug, “You’re entirely welcome. Now, you need to get a good night’s sleep before work tomorrow. Go sleep, and have a great night, hyung,” Mingyu demanded while placing a small kiss on Wonwoo’s cheek. “See you at work tomorrow” he said, leaving Wonwoo with the kiss and the promise of visiting him at work the following day.

 

“A good night indeed,” Wonwoo mumbled to himself as he turned around and started making his way back to his dorm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the long wait between chapters! Honestly, I hit a bit of writer's block ((and also got carried away in fixing up some cosplays for comicon this weekend, whoops)) somewhere and had to find my way past that. I ended up starting a [Hyunghyuk fic](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6940159/chapters/15827002) on the side to help me with any future blocks (and to help my writing flow better). Anyways, I hope you enjoy this cute lil chapter! I'm excited to write the next few, so hopefully that will drive me to bust them out faster than the pace i've been updating. Let me know what you think! Gush with me on [tumblr](http://www.tayvengeance.tumblr.com) or [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/tayvengenz), and once again, thanks for reading :)


	7. You Told Me Never Forget

When Wonwoo woke up the next morning, he did so with a smile on his face. His stomach was still full of butterflies from the night before, and his heart still skipped a beat when the thought about the way Mingyu’s lips felt against his. Needless to say, Wonwoo was _whipped_.

 

He dressed himself in the sweater Mingyu gave him – a piece of clothing that was becoming more like a second skin to him – and wandered over to Seokmin’s room, asking his friend if he could borrow his parka.

 

“Why can’t you use your own parka, hyung?” Seokmin questioned as he hesitantly handed over his favourite (and only) parka.

 

“Mingyu has mine, so until he gives it back to me, I need to borrow yours,” Wonwoo explained.

 

A small “ah,” left Seokmin’s lips – which were upturned into a smile – and he released his hold on the jacket. “Leant your jacket to your lover, I see.”

 

At the word “lover,” Wonwoo’s cheeks started to feel warm, and he knew they were turning a betraying shade of red. “He’s not my lover,” Wonwoo replied sheepishly. “We only kissed once last night, and it wasn’t even a big deal.”

 

“Ah-ha! He finally reveals the events of the night! Jeonghan! Minghao! You guys hearing this in the living room?” Seokmin called out to the two boys. They both ran into Seokmin’s room from the living area, and started throwing questions at him nonstop.

 

“Is he a good kisser?” Jeonghan inquired.

 

“Was it magical?” Minghao swooned.

 

Who made the first move?” Seokmin pressed.

 

“Are you guys like, a thing now?” Jeonghan asked

 

“Did he give you flowers?” Minghao questioned.

 

“Was it worth all your worrying yesterday?” Seokmin smirked.

 

“Yah, stop bombarding me with questions! You’re just as bad as my eomma when I’m late for dinner. Yes, he’s a good kisser, _he_ made the first move, _I_ gave him flowers, it was _magical_ , I don’t know what we are now, and it most **definitely** was worth all the stress I went through yesterday morning. Now, if you’ll all so kindly allow me to leave, I have work to get to.”

 

“Is he going to visit you at work?” Jeonghan yelled after Wonwoo as he tried making his way out of the dorm.

 

Wonwoo waved him off and shut the front door behind him, letting out a sigh of relief when he was finally out of the room and away from all their pestering questions. He fastened himself into Seokmin’s parka, ready to embrace the crisp autumn morning. After his small journey down five flights of stairs – their dorm’s elevators were currently down – Wonwoo found himself nearly skipping down the few blocks it took him to get to work. The thought of seeing Mingyu was fresh in his head, and only drew him into the flower shop at a quicker speed. Skipping shaved nearly five minutes off his usual walk, causing him to be twenty minutes early for his shift instead of his usual fifteen.

 

As he neared the shop, he saw a figure leaning against the door. Thinking it was Mingyu, he ran the extra bit, grinning like a madman until he was face-to-face with none other than Wen Junhui.

 

The smile fell from his face as he greeted his friend. It’s not that he wasn’t happy to see Junhui, it was just a surprise to see _him_ instead of Mingyu. “What are _you_ doing here at this hour?” Wonwoo questioned.

 

“Chill out, I’m here to talk to you about Mingyu.”

 

“What about Mingyu?” Wonwoo was confused, and Junhui looked flustered trying to talk to him about their friend. “Oh my god, wait a minute, are you here to give me the best friend speech?”

 

Junhui sighed, “Mingyu told me you guys kissed last night, and I just came to talk to you and make sure that you meant it and swear you will never hurt him. Mingyu is my dearest friend, and I won’t sit back and let some frilly-ass flower boy crush his heart, got that Wonwoo?”

 

Wonwoo nodded, and a small chuckle escaped his lips, “I’m not going to hurt Mingyu. The only possible way I could ever hurt him is if he pricked a finger on a thorn from a flower I give him. But that is impossible, because I spend an hour every morning clipping thorns off all my flowers. Mingyu is special to me in the same way all these flowers are special to me. Each flower has a meaning to it, and Mingyu means a lot to me.”

 

Junhui pondered Wonwoo’s words for a brief moment, eventually cocking his head to the left and furrowing his brow, “So if every flower has a meaning, what is Mingyu’s?”

 

Wonwoo smiled at his friend, placing his hand on Junhui’s left shoulder, “Hope. Hope that there is at least one other person in the world that can appreciate flowers like I do… or at least pretends to for my sake.”

 

Junhui let a small smile creep across his lips, and he brought his left hand up to rustle Wonwoo’s hair, causing Wonwoo to pull his hand away from Junhui’s shoulder in a foiled attempt to block the younger boy. “You’re not so bad, flower boy. Just remember, the wrath of Wen Junhui awaits should anything happen.”

 

Wonwoo smiled, “Yah, nothing is going to happen between me and Mingyu. Now stop blocking the entrance doors so I can get to work and do my job.”

 

Junhui stepped aside, and gave Wonwoo a small wave before he turned and headed back to the school. Wonwoo chuckled as his friend left, turning the key into the lock and entering the flower shop. A smile found its way on his lips as he flipped the light switch on and greeted the flowers. Making his way to the employee closet, Wonwoo noticed a stray petal on the ground. He bent down to pick it up, and – upon closer inspection – realized it was from a sweet pea. Even though he knew it was a lie he told Mingyu on a whim, Wonwoo still picked up the petal and brought it to his lips, closing his eyes as the soft petal brushed against his mouth. When he opened his eyes not but a moment later, he looked up to find Mingyu standing at the entrance doors. The sun was at his back, encompassing him in a soft glow. Wonwoo could only stand there and stare at Mingyu as he walked into the store and made his way towards him. _‘Wow. He kinda looks like an angel.’_ Mingyu thought, as he slowly brought the petal away from his lips and smiled at the younger boy.

 

“Hyung, what are you doing?” Mingyu questioned as he watched Wonwoo bring the flower away from his lips.

 

“Getting all the luck I can,” Wonwoo responded as he set the petal down onto the counter and smiled towards his (friend? Wonwoo wasn’t exactly sure where they stood after their little date the night before.)

 

“Yah, why do you need luck? I’m here! I can be your good luck charm!” Mingyu smiled and grabbed onto Wonwoo’s arm, pulling the older boy closer to him.

 

Wonwoo laughed, “Ah, it seems I’ve been wishing for luck in all the wrong places! So, Mingyu-ah, how do I go about using you for good luck?”

 

The smile plastered on Mingyu’s face grew even wider – as if that was possible – and he looked Wonwoo in the eyes as he answered, “I mean, you could kiss me like you kissed that petal, but really my presence is luck enough.

 

Wonwoo rolled his eyes and pulled out of Mingyu’s grasp. He walked behind the counter and rested his elbows on it, using his hands to cradle his head, “Was that supposed to trick me into kissing you?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at Mingyu.

 

Mingyu walked over and mimicked Wonwoo’s position, leaning over the counter so that he was inches away from Wonwoo’s face, “Ah, did it not work? Was I not charming enough? How about I put this petal on my lips and you kiss that,” Mingyu offered. He puckered up his lips and held the discarded petal in front of his mouth.

 

Wonwoo laughed, “We both know you’ll move the petal at the last second. If you want me to kiss you, why don’t you just ask me to kiss you?” he asked, bringing himself away from the counter and onto the stool behind him. He watched as Mingyu pushed away from the counter and walked over and stood in front of him. “I thought you were here to keep me company during my arduous shift, not demand kisses from me the second you walk into the shop.”

 

Mingyu shrugged, “It’s all one in the same.” He smiled and winked at Wonwoo. “Also, I must say that sweater looks really good on you, wherever did you get it?” he asked through a devilish grin.

 

“Some klutz pushed me into the rose display and ruined my shirt, so he gave me his sweater.”

 

“Hey! Maybe that klutz was only trying to be subtly romantic by dancing in a flower shop with you! It’s not his fault you have a powerful twirl,” Mingyu defended, slightly nudging Wonwoo’s shoulder.

 

Wonwoo laughed, “Well, thanks to that klutz, I found my new favourite sweater.”

 

“You are a sentimental sap, I hope you know that,” Mingyu observed, taking the end of the conversation to browse around the shop and admire all the flowers.

 

“You know, Junhui came by before the shop was open,” Wonwoo began, watching Mingyu as he wandered around the shop. “He came to talk to me about something very important.”

 

Mingyu stopped in front of the peonies and turned his head to look at Wonwoo, “Junhui? Something important? Hah, nothing is that important to Junhui that he would go out of his way to wake up early and hang around a flower shop to have a conversation with you… no offense or anything.”

 

Wonwoo chuckled, “Well it seems _you_ are that important to him.”

 

A groan escaped from Mingyu as he rolled his eyes and slouched back, “Did that twit really come here to give you the ‘don't hurt my best friend’ speech?”

 

Wonwoo laughed and nodded, “He did indeed.”

 

“I swear to god I’m gonna smack that boy upside the head. He’s just worried because… well… you’re kinda my first boyfriend, and I don’t think he is quite ready to completely accept the fact that I like guys, so… I’m sorry if he made you feel uncomfortable. I can talk to him about it later, just check that he’s chill about everything.”

 

Wonwoo smiled, mostly because Mingyu called him his boyfriend, “It’s fine, Mingyu-ah. I told him the only way I could ever hurt you is if I accidentally forgot to trim a thorn off of a flower before giving it to you, but that the reality of that situation is extremely slim because I spend an hour every shift snipping thorns off of all the new flowers I display.”

 

Mingyu shook his head and looked back at the flowers in front of him, then he glanced at all the others nearby. It seemed as though he was going to try and challenge Wonwoo’s claim, but he seemed to wave off whatever he was about to say. “Hey hyung, sorry to change the subject here, but why don’t you have any of those flowers we saw in the gallery last night?”

 

Wonwoo shrugged, “Availability and location mostly. We only get special seasonal flowers if we can grow them ourselves here.

 

Mingyu nodded and continued looking. Wonwoo watched him admire the flowers from his seat at the checkout counter. He made a note of the way Mingyu pulled up each flower, giving them a small sniff before setting them back in their display arrangements. Mingyu was very gentile with the plants as he admired them, and Wonwoo couldn’t help but compare the way he admired Mingyu to the way his friend was admiring the flowers. They were both being cautious, so as not to hurt the ones they were admiring, but they were both being as engaging as they could. Mingyu was, in fact, one of Wonwoo’s most precious flowers.

 

Mingyu grabbed a flower and walked back over, setting it on the counter along with a 1,000 won note, “You know, you always give out flowers to people, but does anyone ever get you any flowers?”

 

Wonwoo looked down at the flower that Mingyu set on the counter. It was a red tulip. He raised an eyebrow, “What’s this?”

 

“Someone once told me to never forget the significance of a red tulip, because it is a declaration of love. So, I leave you here today with this simple flower, because I believe this plant can say more than I am able to on the subject. Also, I thought it would be cute and romantic to just leave you with this.”

 

“Kim Mingyu, you gigantic dork. You think I’m going to let you leave now without at least a kiss goodbye?”

 

Mingyu smiled big enough for his canines to become visible – a smile that takes Wonwoo’s breath away each time without fail – and moved over behind the counter to where Wonwoo was standing, “So, that's what it took to get a kiss from you?”

 

Wonwoo rolled his eyes and brought his hands up to Mingyu’s face, placing one on each cheek and pulled him in for a kiss. When their lips met, Wonwoo’s eyes fluttered shut and his right hand traveled behind Mingyu’s head and onto the back of his neck. He was kissing Mingyu again, and it was just as perfect as he remembered their last one being. He pulled the younger boy closer to him as Mingyu’s arms wrapped around Wonwoo’s waist. Mingyu let a soft sigh escape his lips as his body was pulled flush up against Wonwoo’s, to which Wonwoo responded to by trying to deepen the kiss. Just as he backed Mingyu up against the counter, the shop door’s opened and the two broke apart in an instant. The two boys stood next to each other, obviously trying to catch their breath, as the customer makes their way in.

 

Seungcheol walked in, clearly confused as to what was going on between the two boys behind the counter. “Uh, should I come back another time? Are you two currently preoccupied with… each other?” he asked, stopping in the middle of the empty shop.

 

“I, uh… actually, uh… yeah. I was just leaving. I’ll, uh, talk to you later, Wonwoo-ah,” Mingyu stuttered, still trying to even out his breathing. He quickly walked away from Wonwoo and grabbed his coat from the rack in the front of the store. He shimmied into his coat with ease, and gave Wonwoo a small wink before he disappeared out the front doors.

 

Seungcheol looked at Wonwoo, then behind him where Mingyu had made his hurried exit, then back at Wonwoo again, “So, you hittin’ that or what?”

 

Wonwoo could feel his cheeks burning up, and looked away from Jeonghan’s classmate, “We _just_ started dating, okay?”

 

Seungcheol smiled, and walked over to Wonwoo, “Aw, don’t be embarrassed my sweet dongsaeng. We all knew it would happen eventually. In fact, Seokmin and I have a bet going on between you and Mingyu and Jeonghan and Minghao on who comes out as a real couple first. I won’t tell you who is betting on whom, but just know it’s going on.”

 

Wonwoo rolled his eyes, “Did you need any flowers, or are you just here to chit chat about my love life? Because I must warn you the latter is extremely boring and basically non-existent.

 

Seungcheol laughed, clapping a hand on Wonwoo’s shoulder, “Your love life seemed pretty existant when I walked in, but yeah. I need flowers. I’m going on a date tonight, and I gotta impress Sooyoung.”

 

Wonwoo raised an eyebrow, “Park Sooyoung? She’s in my composition class…”

 

“So you know her? You can make me the perfect bouquet?” Seungcheol looked at Wonwoo with puppy dog eyes, pleading with him to help.

 

“Yah, hyung. I can make you a bouquet. We’ll start with a few pink roses for admiration,” He grabbed the roses from behind him at the counter, then scurried off across the shop. “Some heather for good luck,” Wonwoo grabbed a few wisps of heather and placed them between the roses in his hand. He stood in front of the heather, gazing around his many flower displays before he snapped his fingers and walked over to the display full of special filler leaves. “I’ll add some Mugwort leaves for happiness…” he trailed off, making sure to think of every flower before realizing the perfect flower to tie in the bouquet was right by him. “And some pink and white ranunculus flowers because she dazzles you with her charm. I’ll wrap it all up in green paper – which is what I assume is her favourite colour, considering she has part of her hair dyed that colour – and there you go, hyung!” Wonwoo smiled as he handed his floral masterpiece over to Seungcheol.

 

Seungcheol looked at the flowers in awe, “I never realized they held so much meaning. I’m going to tell her all about the flowers! Can you write down what each one means again?”

 

Wonwoo beamed at Seungcheol, happy his friend was willing to let him help woo Sooyoung with his flower knowledge. “Of course! Make sure to leave the ranunculus for last, because that will be the best way to charm her,” Wonwoo instructs with a wink, handing Seungcheol a piece of paper with the parts of the bouquet written down. “I’m really excited for you, hyung! Will you tell me how your date goes? Also, the bouquet will be 40,000 won.”

 

“Of course, Wonwoo-ah! I’ll even get a picture of Sooyoung with the flowers!” Seungcheol fumbled in his pockets for this wallet, finally pulling it out and grabbing 40,000 won for Wonwoo. “You’ll be the first to hear the details of my night,” Seungcheol promised with a wink and his hand over his heart. “Thank you!” he called out, turning to leave the flower shop. “I really hope things go well between you and Mingyu!”

 

“Does that mean you’re betting on us?” Wonwoo yelled back, his heart pounded in anticipation. Seungcheol merely winked as he pulled his coat on and walked out the flower shop, leaving Wonwoo all alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here is the chapter containing my favourite line in a flower shop fic. I am sorry, but the "do people ever give you flowers" bit is my fave, and I'm such a sucker for it. Anywho, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! We are going to get some more meanie moments coming up here, and I'm excited to start writing the next chapter! (also how frickn cute would S. Coups and Joy be tho??? I didn't realize I needed it until I wrote this chapter) 
> 
> Let me know what you think! hit me up on [Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/tayvengenz) or [Tumblr](http://www.tayvengeance.tumblr.com) or leave a comment! :D


	8. You're Driving Me Wild

When Friday rolled around, Wonwoo had planned on sleeping in and enjoying his class-free day, but Mingyu had other plans for him. It was a call at 7:30 in the morning that woke up Wonwoo, tearing him away from sweet slumber and into the hell that was real life.

 

"Yah, Mingyu, it's too early for me to be awake. Don't bother me," Wonwoo mumbled into the receiver.

 

"Mmh, but I need the help of my lovely boyfriend today," Mingyu pouted on the other end.

 

Wonwoo groaned and sat up in his bed, not even letting a small smile creep across his face at the word boyfriend. "What do you want?"

He heard Mingyu laugh, "I want you to critique my dance practice."

 

Wonwoo drew his eyebrows together – even if Mingyu couldn't see his expression –  confusion plain on his face. "I know nothing about dance. Why would you want me to critique you?"

 

"Fine you caught me. I just wanted to show off my supreme dance skills to my boyfriend. So will you come watch me or not?”

 

Wonwoo paused a moment, making sure to torture Mingyu with silence for waking him up so early, “I’ll go only if you buy me food after.”

 

Mingyu laughed, “Of course I will. Anything you want.”

 

“Mmm, I want bibimbap,” Wonwoo hummed into the phone. He heard Mingyu chuckle on the other line, “Feed me bibimbap and I will watch you dance. That’s my deal.”

 

“Okay, hyung! I’ll swing by your dorm in ten minutes to walk you over.”

 

Wonwoo’s eyes shot open, and he jumped out of bed, “Fuck!” He nearly tripped over his blankets in his rush to scramble out of bed. Mingyu heard his struggle on the other end, and laughed, causing Wonwoo to hang up on his boyfriend before throwing his phone down on his bed and running into the bathroom to shower.

 

Wonwoo didn’t bother doing his hair after he was dressed, and decided to cover up the mess on his head with a hat. He kept the casual Sunday look going by neglecting contacts for his big, round glasses. He shrugged at his reflection in the mirror and decided he wasn’t going to put any more effort into his look today, since he was dragged out of bed before noon.

 

Almost exactly ten minutes after his call ended with Wonwoo, Mingyu shot his boyfriend a text letting him know he had arrived at the dorm.

 

**To: ♥Woonie♥**

**Message:**

**Hey, your ten minutes is up! I’m waiting for you outside, babe.** (＾ｰ^)ノ

 

**To: Gyu~♥**

**Message:**

**Oh, so quick with the pet-names. I’ll be right down, sweetie.** ♪(´ε｀ )   

 

Wonwoo checked to see if Seokmin was awake before he left a note on his roommate’s door, letting him know he’d be out all day with Mingyu and that he’d do their laundry tonight when he returned. He smiled his whole way down the stairs, and pulled Mingyu into a hug from behind when he exited onto the ground floor. Mingyu spun around in his embrace, his canines glistening as he returned the smile and placed a chaste kiss on Wonwoo’s cheek. “Hyung, you look so studious today with your glasses. I like it.”

 

Wonwoo winked at him, “It’s called putting in zero effort, and I think I do it pretty well.”

 

Mingyu laughed and grabbed Wonwoo’s hand, leading him away from the dorms and over to the practice rooms. “Well, zero effort suits you. You look cute with glasses on.”

 

“Yah, stop giving me all these compliments. You’ll make me start to think that I’m actually handsome, and not extremely awkward,” Wonwoo chastised.

 

Mingyu looked over to meet Wonwoo’s gaze, “Ah, but you _are_ so handsome, hyung. You’re like Dogwood.”

 

Wonwoo faked a gasp, “Is my Mingyu reading about flowers to impress me? You think I’m strong and durable?”

 

Mingyu smiled in return, “I may have googled a few things to impress you.”

 

Wonwoo stopped walking and pulled Mingyu into his embrace, cupping his jaw with his free hand and planted a kiss on the younger’s lips. Mingyu’s arms wrapped around Wonwoo’s waist, and he pulled the older boy closer to him to deepen the kiss.

 

_“You know that feeling when you are on an airplane, and you’re either taking off or landing? There is that feeling in your gut, you know? Like when you’re on a roller coaster, and you reach the top of the drop, and you can feel it in the pit of your stomach? That energy inside of you that is moving with the G-force of the object you’re encased in? That’s what kissing Mingyu is like,” Wonwoo gushed to Seokmin after he came home from work Monday evening. “Every moment leading up to kissing him is that moment when you’re sitting on the plane, or in the rollercoaster car in anticipation; and when we finally kiss, that’s the moment of liftoff. It’s the big drop, and the rest of the kiss is the twists and turns and loops that come with the rollercoaster. And I part from him to catch my breath only for a few moments because I don’t want to miss a single moment of the ride.” Seokmin smiled at his friend, enjoying the tranquility in his voice and the serene expression on his face as he reminisces about kissing Mingyu._

 

All Wonwoo could feel was that drop in the pit of his stomach, as if he was experiencing a thrill ride instead of just kissing his boyfriend. Maybe Mingyu could feel it too, he wondered, but he didn’t have enough time to think on it before Mingyu pulled away and brought their foreheads together. “Wonwoo-ah, as thrilling as this is, I only have the practice room booked for two hours, and we just wasted about ten minutes by stopping to talk and kiss.”

 

Wonwoo nodded against Mingyu’s forehead, and placed a fast kiss on his lips before he pulled away and grabbed onto the younger boy’s hand again. Mingyu began guiding them to the practice rooms again, and Wonwoo sighed in relief when he was able to put his mind to work on other things besides how beautiful Mingyu is up close.

 

“Just wait until you see just how good I am at dancing, hyung. You’ll be so amazed; I just know it.”

 

“It’s good to know I have the world’s most humble boyfriend,” Wonwoo joked.

 

Mingyu shot him a wink before he guided them both into a practice room and locked the door behind them. “So, this is a contemporary piece. It’s pretty personal to me, and I want you to be the first person I show it to,” Mingyu explained as he slipped out of his shoes and hooked his phone up to the speaker system. He made Wonwoo do stretches with him, then handed his phone to Wonwoo to play the song after they were warmed up. Mingyu then padded over to the centre of the practice room, waiting for the [music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lo3lxS-6joY) to begin. The beat slowly rose, and then a voice began singing in English. Wonwoo wasn’t the best at English – he had a basic understanding of the language – so he couldn’t really make out the meaning of the song without seeing the lyrics in front of him. Despite that setback, he understood the song was somber and powerful by the way Mingyu moved his body.

 

 _“I wanna sleep next to you, and that’s all I wanna do right now,”_ Wonwoo could hear Mingyu softly singing along as he danced to the music. He bore his emotions outright, and Wonwoo was awestruck by the force of each movement Mingyu made. Wonwoo liked the way Mingyu could roll his body, and also made note of just how flexible his boyfriend was as he ended his dance with a death drop. The movement was so sudden and drastic, almost as if he had plummeted to the mat from a tall perch. Wonwoo was so taken by the dance, that he just sat there with his jaw hanging open. “So,” Mingyu asked, trying to catch his breath, “What did you think?”

 

“Fuck, dude. That was amazing,” Wonwoo sighed with admiration.

 

Mingyu’s face lit up, and his smile stretched across his entire face, “Really, hyung?” Wonwoo nodded in response, and yelped when Mingyu hug-tackled him to the ground. “It means a lot to me that you liked it.”

 

Wonwoo smiled and kissed his boyfriend on the cheek, “I wish I could move like you do.”

 

Mingyu’s eyes lit up, “Wonwoo-ah, let me teach you to dance!”

 

Fear flashed across Wonwoo’s face the moment Mingyu offered to teach him how to dance. “No no no no no no no no, bad idea. I can’t dance, Mingyu. In fact, I am so bad that I'd end up hurting both of us in the process of learning.”

 

Mingyu let out a hearty laugh, “I highly doubt you’re _that_ bad. Come on, let me teach you!” It seemed Wonwoo didn't have a choice in the matter, for Mingyu pulled them both up and dragged Wonwoo to the centre of the practice room. “Okay. I'm starting you off easy, my dear. I'll play something you’re familiar with. You know the key dance moves for ‘Bang Bang Bang?’”

 

Wonwoo shrugged, “I guess I do.”

 

Mingyu smiled, “Good! We’ll start there!” He cued up his phone to BIGBANG and skipped up to the chorus so that he could show Wonwoo the dance. “Okay, so watch and mirror what I do.” So Wonwoo did what he was told -- well, he tried to. He was slower than Mingyu, having not practiced the dance as much as his boyfriend, and his movements weren’t as fluid. “No, you have to move like a leaf in the wind. You get it? _Flow. Be the leaf._ ”

 

“What the hell does that even mean?” Wonwoo questioned, not fully grasping what the younger boy was trying to tell him.

 

“You need to flow. Your movements are too rigid right now; you need to loosen up. Don’t fight the music, let it move you. You know the moves, now just dance,” Mingyu instructed. He was worried Wonwoo wouldn’t understand his coaching again, and avoided the older boy’s gaze for fear of being questioned again. When Wonwoo didn’t respond, Mingyu shot him a quizzical look.

 

“What? I get what you’re saying. Can we just continue?” Wonwoo grumbled.

 

Mingyu smiled at him and resumed the music. This time instead of dancing with Wonwoo, he stepped to the side to observe and make sure Wonwoo was dancing correctly. “Flow, Wonwoo-ah, _be the leaf!”_ Mingyu encouraged. Wonwoo rolled his eyes in response and continued dancing through the chorus of “Bang Bang Bang.” When he stopped the music, Mingyu offered Wonwoo a thumbs up for his hard work. “You’re like a dead leaf blowing softly in the cold winter breeze. If you keep practicing, you can be like a fresh new leaf flowing steadily in the spring breeze.”

 

Wonwoo groaned, “I just want water and food.”

 

“There’s water fountains near the bathrooms. You’ll have to wait an hour for food though. I’m not done practicing,” Mingyu informed. Wonwoo nodded and headed out of the practice room -- panting because of the intense dance lesson he just received -- and over to the closest bathroom. Sure enough, there was a drinking fountain waiting for him.

 

Minghao was standing next to one of the fountains, sweat dripping profusely from his hair. Wonwoo wondered if he had just been practicing dance or mixed martial arts until he saw Jeonghan lying on the ground nearby. “You guys been dancing all morning?” Wonwoo inquired.

 

Minghao nodded, “Yeah. Been here since 6. Well, _I’ve_ been here since 6.”

 

“It’s not my fault that the power was cut off in my dorm last night. My phone didn’t charge, so my alarm never went off this morning. Luckily my cat woke me up at like 6:40. I nearly fell out of bed when she jumped on my nightstand and knocked everything off, scaring me awake. I was only 50 minutes late to practice.” Jeonghan sat up when he finished his story and shot Wonwoo a puzzled look, “Yah, what are _you_ doing here? You don’t dance.”

 

Wonwoo sighed, “Mingyu wanted me to watch him dance. Then he made me dance. I’m currently on my hydration break.”

 

Jeonghan wore a surprised expression on his face, “I can’t believe Mingyu got you to dance.”

 

“There is not a lot I wouldn’t do with the promise of food,” Wonwoo shrugged.

 

Jeonghan laughed, “That is so typical of you. Well, it seems as though me and Minghao’s cool down break is over and that we still haven’t perfected our final piece. Have fun dancing with your boyfriend,” he said, motioning for Minghao to help him off the floor.

 

“Also, you two are being forced to come to movie night next Friday. Cancel any and all plans,” Minghao declared, pulling his boyfriend up off the ground in one swift movement.

 

Wonwoo raised his hands in front of him, “Woah, you’re not asking us, are ya? I’ll be off work by 6; is that good for you?”

 

Minghao nodded, “Ask Mingyu if we can use his dorm. It’s big and he doesn’t have a roommate.”

 

“Is that why you invited us to movie night? To use Mingyu’s room?” Wonwoo inquired.

 

Minghao shrugged, “It’s definitely a perk.”

 

Wonwoo scoffed, “Yeah, I’ll text you details later.”

 

Minghao and Jeonghan smiled, then gave him a small wave before returning to their practice room. Wonwoo finally got his drink of water from the fountain and headed back to the room where Mingyu was waiting for him. He was on the floor stretching his legs, “I was about to send a search party out for you, hyung,” Mingyu joked, he sprung up from his position on the ground and grabbed Wonwoo’s wrists.

 

Wonwoo rolled his eyes, “Minghao and Jeonghan were out there and we got to chatting.”

 

“Ah, our rival couple,” Mingyu teased.

 

“They want us to join them next Friday for a movie night.”

 

Mingyu’s eyes widened with excitement, “When? Where?”

 

Wonwoo laughed, “They wanted to know if we could all chill at your place, since you don’t have a roommate to disturb.”

 

“Of course we can! Oh my god, Wonwoo this will be so exciting. We can out-couple Jeonghao all night long with how cute we are together.”

 

Wonwoo shot his boyfriend a puzzled look, “Did you just give them a ship name?”

 

Mingyu nodded and bopped Wonwoo on the nose, “Of course I did. Now, let’s do one more round of dancing here. I think we’ll be able to dance for a full twenty minutes before having to leave.”

 

And with that, Mingyu played the music again and started moving across the dance floor to the centre. Wonwoo smiled and watched how gracefully he moved and how fluid his movements were. VIXX’s Chained Up was definitely good to Mingyu, and Wonwoo couldn’t lie to himself; he really enjoyed the body rolls. Mingyu finished his dance and fell to the floor with fatigue, “Wonwoo-ah, I’m calling it a day. I’m so tired. Let’s go to my dorm, shower, then go eat lunch.”

 

Wonwoo laughed, walking over to Mingyu and holding his hand out to help the younger boy up. “I don’t have non-sweaty clothes, Mingyu-ah.” They started walking to his dorm regardless.

 

“Well, it’s a good thing you like my sweaters so much. And it also helps that you just look so yummy with sweater paws,” Mingyu replied with a wink.

 

Wonwoo rolled his eyes and grabbed Mingyu’s hand, placing a small kiss on the back of his hand. “When I wear your sweaters I can smell like you. It’s my favourite smell. Sage with a hint of mint.”

 

Mingyu smiled, “I’m glad you like the way I smell. That would make cuddling with you difficult if you didn’t like the way I smelled. I enjoy the overwhelming floral scent you leave behind. It’s like a thousand flowers all at once and it makes me feel safe and warm.”

 

Wonwoo nudged Mingyu’s side, “Perks of dating a florist.”

 

Mingyu laughed, “My real-life flower boy.” He dropped Wonwoo’s hand to fiddle around in his pockets for his dorm key, and pulled them both inside.

 

“Why is your dorm so much nicer than mine,” Wonwoo whined, walking into the elevator.

 

“Because it’s newer,” Mingyu shrugged, pulling Wonwoo out of the elevator and over to his dorm room. He opened the door and motioned for Wonwoo to enter first, “After you, my fine gentleman.”

 

Wonwoo snorted and rolled his eyes, but was betrayed by the smile slowly growing on his face, “Yah will Mingyu-ah also let me shower first?”

 

Mingyu smiled and ruffled Wonwoo’s sweaty head, “Ah, you’re cute, but not cute enough for me to give up my prime shower spot. Wonwoo-ah has to wait until I’m done, unless he wants to join me,” Mingyu said, letting his tongue slide across his bottom lip and throwing Wonwoo a seductive wink.

 

Wonwoo blushed and turned his gaze to the floor, “Yah, Mingyu, we haven’t even had sex yet. I’m definitely not ready to shower with you.”

 

“Ah but you want to,” Mingyu concluded.

 

“I mean, I wouldn’t mind looking at your body sans clothing, and I _definitely_ wouldn’t mind feeling your bare, wet skin under my hands… But I am not ready for the actual physical act of showering together,” Wonwoo explained, the heat in his cheeks worsening the longer he tried to explain himself to Mingyu.

 

Mingyu let a loud laugh escape, “It’s okay. I was just joking, and I’m sorry if I put you in an uncomfortable situation.”

 

Wonwoo whacked Mingyu on the back of the head, “Yah, you little punk. I didn’t enjoy that.”

 

Mingyu pulled Wonwoo into a quick kiss and disappeared into his bathroom. Wonwoo took the opportunity to look through Mingyu’s closet for a sweater. He tried a few on, only to end up feeling like a child trying on his father’s clothing. His eyes fell on a black sweater with the parental advisory warning on the chest, and Wonwoo concluded it was the perfect sweater to steal from his boyfriend. He pulled the sweater off the hanger as Mingyu walked into his bedroom with only a towel around his waist.

 

“Oh, did you find a sweater, Wonwoo-ah?” Mingyu asked as he walked over to his boyfriend. He had a second towel in his hand and was rubbing his hair dry, and it took everything Wonwoo had not to pull his toned, tan body against his and pin him to the bed.

 

 _Wow, I didn’t realize how hot for Mingyu I am,_ Wonwoo thought. “Ah, yeah, I found a sweater. Ah, babe, can you put some clothes on? I’m having impure thoughts,” Wonwoo admitted.

 

Mingyu just smirked and walked over to Wonwoo, holding his arms out and grabbing onto him by the waist. “What if I want you to have those thoughts? What if that was my plan all along?” he whispered in his ear, making sure to bite at his earlobe after.

 

Wonwoo’s breath hitched in his throat. “Mingyu-ah,” he breathed against Mingyu’s ear. His hands traveled down Mingyu’s bare back and down to rest on his hips.

 

“Go shower, babe. You smell like dirty man,” Mingyu said into his boyfriend’s ear.

 

Wonwoo turned his head in order to place a kiss on Mingyu’s lips, “Mmh, you like it.”

 

Mingyu made a face and stuck his tongue out, feigning disgust, “Grab a towel and get outta my room, Hyung.” Wonwoo gave his boyfriend one last kiss and a slap on the ass before grinning madly at Mingyu and walking out of the bedroom. He grabbed a towel off the shelves by the bathroom, and shut the door behind him. He smiled when he realized he would smell like Mingyu all day, and turned the water on in anticipation. The water started falling, and Wonwoo placed his hat and glasses on the counter before he peeled the sweaty clothing from his body. He quickly stepped into the shower and took a few good moments to scrub his hair with some fresh sage shampoo. The smell was so entirely Mingyu, it made Wonwoo feel warm and safe in the scent’s embrace. Mingyu had peppermint body wash, which Wonwoo concluded gave him the secret mint smell.

 

Wonwoo was extra happy as the stepped out of the shower five minutes later and wrapped the towel around his waist. He put his glasses back on before realising all the clothing he needed was in Mingyu’s room. With a sigh, he grabbed his dirty clothes off the bathroom floor and made his way back over to Mingyu’s room. “Yah, I need pants and underwear to go with that sweater,” Wonwoo requested, pointing at the sweater on Mingyu’s bed.

 

Mingyu’s head snapped up at the sound of his boyfriend’s voice, “Oh, yes. Right. Clothing. You might need that,” he muttered, scuttling off his bed and over to his dresser. He pulled out a pair of Spider-Man underwear and tossed them at Wonwoo, then crouched down to pull a random pair of jeans out of his bottom drawer. The jeans were also thrown at Wonwoo.

 

“Wow, thanks for just tossing that in my face,” Wonwoo said with a slight edge to his voice.

 

Mingyu simply laughed at him, “Just take the pants and get dressed, hyung.”

 

Wonwoo rolled his eyes and walked back into the bathroom with the underwear and pants. He pulled them on and discarded his towel into the hamper Mingyu kept next to the sink. The pants were slightly large on him, so they hung low on his waist. He walked back into Mingyu’s bedroom, “Yah, the pants are a little big. Can I have a belt?”

 

Mingyu’s eyes panned up and down Wonwoo’s body, finally stopping to rest on the waistband of his underwear sticking out under his pants. “Mmm, but this is such a good look,” he pouted, grabbing the sweater Wonwoo had left on the bed and bringing it over to him. Without warning, he pulled the sweater over Wonwoo’s head, and let his hands trail down his sides and onto his waist. “Won’t even be able to tell once you put this on,” he smirked. “Also I’m wearing my only belt, so I mean, I can’t help you even if i want to.”

 

Wonwoo carefully pulled his arms through the sweater and pulled the soft fabric down to cover his pants problem, “It’s fine. But you know, as nice as it is to just stand here and flirt with you, I’m starving and you promised me bibimbap.”

 

Mingyu chuckled, “Wonwoo-ah, you are too cute. Yah, let’s go get you bibimbap.” He placed a kiss on the older boy’s lips, then took his hand and began guiding him out of the building and on to their lunch date. “This place gives you the biggest pan of bibimbap. I bet you won’t be able to finish it,” Mingyu challenged.

 

Wonwoo laughed, “You’re on. If I finish it, you get to wake up early and spend all day at the flower shop with me tomorrow.”

 

Mingyu snorted, “Alright, deal.”

 

∆ ∆ ∆

 

Wonwoo almost couldn’t finish his food, but managed to shovel the whole bibimbap in his stomach. Little did he know Mingyu would spend his whole day at the flower shop regardless.

 

_(“Yah, Mingyu carry me home. I’m so full, I can’t move.”)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW, I'M SORRY! THIS TOOK WAY TOO LONG TO UPDATE. I literally had half of it written like right after I last updated, but got super distracted with Vidcon and then Overwatch. (I know playing Overwatch isn't a good excuse, but I am in too deep with this game) I apologize for the wait between chapters, but I hope you like this one! (I know i say this after like every chapter, but I'm excited to write the next one.) 
> 
> I would also like to blame the fact that I got a [Soonhoon fic](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7492887) idea in the middle of writing this and had to write a one shot before the idea left my brain. I'm just really sorry it took so long. ;-; But like, the next few chapters are going to be so fun, I promise. <3
> 
> Please tell me what you think! (you can also reach me on [Tumblr](HTTP://www.tayvengeance.tumblr.com) or [ Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/tayvengenz))  
> Thank you for reading~!
> 
> *I updated this, since I had a time issue in it, but it's so minor that it doesn't really matter too much, but I'm still letting you all know


	9. My Youth Is Yours

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I am 100% NOT a smut person. I'm gonna let you all know this right now. While things might get heated in this chapter, there will be no description of any kind of activities. If you really need it, imagine what goes on between paragraph breaks, but I don't write that. Just a fair warning.
> 
> Another warning, I do write about T.O.P's movie Commitment, and I do mention the end of the movie, so if you've never seen it and don't want it spoiled, here is your warning.

**To: Gyu~** **♥**

**Message:**

**Hey, I’m outside your dorm. Let me in.**

 

 **To:** **♥** **Woonie** **♥**

**Message:**

**You’re earlyyyyy. Lemme put some pants on, one sec.**

 

 **To: Gyu~** **♥**

**Message:**

**Such a waste of time when I’ll just tug them off later.**

 

 **To:** **♥** **Woonie** **♥**

**Message:**

**Is that a promise?**

 

 **To: Gyu~** **♥**

**Message:**

**You bet it is. I’m not leaving your bed tonight.**

 

 **To:** **♥** **Woonie** **♥**

**Message:**

**How scandalous. What will my RA think of me? What will Minghao and Jeonghan think of us? (also I just got off the elevator, I’m about to let you in)**

 

 **To: Gyu~** **♥**

**Message:**

**Who cares. They’ll probably just leave after the movie and fuck at one of their dorms**

 

“You rotten scoundrel. Stop sending me dirty texts and suggesting we kick our friends out after the movie to bang,” Mingyu scolded as he opened the door to the dorm. A smile spread across his face when he was greeted with a bouquet of flowers instead of his boyfriend’s face, “Oh, and I suppose you’re planning on seducing me with these flowers?”

 

Wonwoo gave Mingyu a kiss on the cheek before placing the bouquet he made for Mingyu in his arms, “Wasn’t my initial plan, but if it works, then go me.” He followed Mingyu inside the dorm and into the elevator to get to his room.

 

“Ah, let’s see what flowers you chose,” Mingyu said as he admired his bouquet. “Hey, these are all sweet peas.”

 

“Yup. Because you’re my sweet pea,” Wonwoo responded as they got off the elevator and walked across the hall to Mingyu’s room.

 

“You’re so lame and sappy. I love it. Please continue to shower me with affection,” Mingyu demanded, opening his door for Wonwoo to enter.

 

Once both boys were inside and the flowers were gently placed inside a vase, Wonwoo pulled Mingyu to him, wrapping his arms around the younger’s waist. “I adore you.”

 

Mingyu smiled, “Ah, is that all the affection you can muster, Wonwoo-ah?”

 

Wonwoo chuckled, “Mingyu is the most handsome, talented and smart person I have ever met.”

 

Mingyu rolled his eyes, “Don’t gotta be so sarcastic, hyung.”

 

“Ah, but I’m not,” Wonwoo responded, nuzzling his face into Mingyu’s shoulder. He felt Mingyu chuckle, and took that as a cue to start leaving a trail of kisses up Mingyu’s neck.

 

“Yah, hyung, what are you doing?” Mingyu asked through a pleasured smile.

 

Wonwoo paused his kissing venture as he drew close to Mingyu’s ear and whispered, “What I’ve wanted to do for the past month I’ve known you.”

 

Mingyu turned his head to meet Wonwoo’s eyes. As soon as they made eye contact, his lips connected with Wonwoo’s and a small breath escaped through his nose. Wonwoo’s grip tightened on Mingyu’s waist as he pulled the younger boy closer to him, making sure there was absolutely no space between them.

 

Mingyu backed Wonwoo against the wall, breaking Wonwoo’s grip on him and pinned his left shoulder to the wall, keeping his right hand on the back of Wonwoo’s neck. Wonwoo let out a small moan as his back hit the wall, causing Mingyu to deepen their kiss even more. His tongue traced Wonwoo’s bottom lip a few times before Wonwoo caved in and let their tongues dance together.

 

Mingyu broke away for a quick breath, leaning his forehead against Wonwoo’s. Wonwoo took the opportunity to leave small bites along Mingyu’s collarbones and up along his neck. Mingyu moved his head over to the left to give Wonwoo better access to his neck and let out a small moan, “Wonwoo-ah, you drive me crazy.”

 

Wonwoo smiled and kissed his way up to whisper in Mingyu’s ear, “Tonight, I’m gonna drive you insane.” He pushed himself away from the wall and pulled Mingyu into the bedroom. Once they entered, Mingyu pulled Wonwoo back into his embrace, and started sucking on Wonwoo’s neck, making sure to leave him matching marks. Wonwoo walked them over to the bed and pushed the younger boy down, crawling up to straddle his lover’s hips.

 

“Wonwoo-ah,” Mingyu moaned as Wonwoo’s mouth came crashing back down on his. “I think I might really like you,” he confessed between breaths.

 

Wonwoo pulled away and rested his forehead on Mingyu’s, “Good, because I kind of really like you too, and this would be a really awkward make-out session if you didn’t feel the same way.”

 

Mingyu laughed and pulled Wonwoo’s head back down for another kiss, “What was it you said about my pants and my bed tonight?”

 

Wonwoo chuckled, “I said I was going to tug off your pants and that we weren’t leaving your bed all night.”

 

“Ah, right. An admirable request. But might I remind you that Jeonghan and Minghao will be over soon for our movie night,” Mingyu reminded his boyfriend.

 

Wonwoo laughed and crawled off of Mingyu, pulling the younger boy up off the bed with him, “Yah, I know. We’ll finish this later.”

 

Mingyu planted a big kiss on Wonwoo’s cheek, “Ah~! Sounds fantastic, hyung.”

 

Wonwoo rolled his eyes and pulled Mingyu into the living area to prepare the space for the night. “So exactly how many pillows do you own, because nothing says movie night best like a pillow fortress,” Wonwoo inquired.

 

“Uh, well, I have like four pillows on my bed. That's it.”

 

“That's it?” Wonwoo raised an eyebrow at his boyfriend. “I'll tell them to bring pillows then.”

 

“What's with your pillow obsession?” Mingyu asked, walking into his bedroom to grab the pillows for Wonwoo’s pleasure. He came back out with a bundle of blankets and the pillows from his bed. Wonwoo watched as he threw everything on the floor in front of the couch and looked at him waiting for a response.

 

Wonwoo shrugged, “They are soft and squishy and fluffy and good for cuddling.”

 

“You know what else is good for cuddling? Me. Your boyfriend. I'm the best cuddler,” Mingyu said, as he pulled Wonwoo into a hug from behind and kissed him on the neck.

 

Wonwoo erupted into a fit of laughter, “Yah, Gyu, stooooooop! That tickles!”

 

Mingyu smiled against his neck, “Good. I wanna hear your laugh. It's music to my ears.”

 

“God, you're such a romantic sap.”

 

“Says the boy who brought me a bouquet of flowers,” Mingyu countered.

 

“I am a florist. It's my job to give people flowers,” Wonwoo argued.

 

Mingyu rolled his eyes, “it's your job to sell flowers. I think I've only paid for like a bouquet and a half in the month I've known you, and I've definitely received _way_ more than a bouquet and a half.”

 

“Whoops, guess we are both romantic saps,” Wonwoo said, turning around in Mingyu’s arms to face him. He put his hands on both sides of Mingyu’s face, “But how can I resist giving flowers to such a pretty face?”

 

Mingyu smiled, “You can't. So keep ‘em coming, hyung.”

 

Wonwoo smiled and pulled Mingyu in for a kiss. Both their phones started buzzing at the same time, so they had to break away and check to see if Jeonghan and Minghao had arrived yet.

 

 **To:** **WonWOW**

**Message:**

**Hey, tell your boyfriend to let us up.**

**To: Angel boy**

**Message:**

**No. Ask him yourself.**

 

 **To:** **Wonwoo’s Boyfriend**

**Message: Wonwoo is being a dick and won't let us up**

 

**To: Jeonghan**

**Message:**

**What if I told him not to?**

 

 **To:** **Wonwoo’s Boyfriend**

**Message: (￣◇￣)**

 

 **To:** **Jeonghan**

**Message: chill. We’ll let you up.**

 

The two boys laughed with each other, before they joined hands and made their way down.

 

The thing about young love is all the time spent alone with the person you love is lost in stolen kisses and careless whispers. Wonwoo and Mingyu were no exception, spending their ride down the elevator attached at the lips. In turn, they were greeted outside the dorm with Jeonghan and Minghao locked in a similar embrace. “Yah, you two lovebirds, save it for the bedroom,” Mingyu chided. Minghao responded by sticking his tongue out at the older boy, and received a thwack on the head from Mingyu for it. “Yah, get in the elevator,” Mingyu commanded. The other two boys followed them in, and they made their way back up to Mingyu’s room.

 

“You guys didn't bring more pillows?” Wonwoo questioned as they walked off the elevator and into the hall.

 

“Nah, the only pillow I need is my Minghao,” Jeonghan answered.

 

“See! All Jeonghan needs is his boyfriend to cuddle with. Why don't you love me like you love pillows, hyung?” Mingyu pouted. He unlocked the door to his room and ushered everyone in, making sure to hold onto Wonwoo -- he had to prove how cuddly he was.

 

“Dude, you're gonna run your eomma out of business,” Jeonghan said as he gestured to the fresh bouquet sitting in a case on the side table.

 

Mingyu grinned like a madman, “How romantic.”

 

“But Mingyu, if I run my eomma out of business, that means no more flowers!”

 

“It means you open up another flower shop and name it after me, and I’m the only one you give flowers to,” Mingyu concluded.

 

Wonwoo rolled his eyes, “That’s called a personal garden, hyung.”

 

“Then it looks like we need to have a garden. You will tend to the flowers and I will act surprised when you give them to me,” Mingyu continued.

 

“Yah, I came here for movies and the possibility of matcha lattes. Stop this flower garden nonsense!” Jeonghan demanded.

 

The two boys laughed, and pushed Minghao and Jeonghan into the living area to begin the night’s festivities. “Ah, I should warn you all. My heating system is busted and only works half the time it’s on -- a complaint that I have brought up many times to my RA and have yet to see results on -- so I have tons of blankets ready. You two can take the couch since Wonwoo over here just loves pillows so much.”

 

Jeonghan and Minghao gave Mingyu a thumbs up and made their way to the couch. “What movie are we going to watch?” Minghao questioned.

 

Wonwoo shrugged, “I don't care. What's on Netflix?”

 

“OH! We can watch a T.O.P film. I know Commitment is on here, and he looks _fine_ in it,” Mingyu suggested.

 

“I haven't seen that,” Minghao said.

 

Jeonghan rolled his eyes, “You haven't seen like, anything. This is why I suggested a movie night in the first place.”

 

“But I'm more attractive than T.O.P, right Gyu~?” Wonwoo pouted.

 

Jeonghan and Minghao let loose a snicker, to which Mingyu hushed them up real fast over. He then placed his hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder, “Aw, Woonie, you’re so cute.” And with that, he turned to the TV and hit the Netflix app, scrolling over to the movie they agreed on.

 

“Fuck T.O.P!” Wonwoo crossed his arms and pouted. He turned his body slightly away from Mingyu, and kept his attention to the wall adjacent to him.

 

The movie started playing, and it only took Minghao a matter of seconds to lean over to Jeonghan, “Wait, who is that? What’s going on?”

 

“Baby, if you watch the damn film, you’ll get all the answers you need,” Jeonghan replied.

 

They sat in silence for a good ten minutes before Minghao chimed up again, “What the hell just happened? He’s dead? You can’t kill a guy like that! Who is this guy!?”

 

Mingyu paused the film, “He was a North Korean spy, and they caught him. What about that scene was hard to understand?”

 

“I got _thaaaat_ ,” Minghao whined, “But like _who_ is he?”

 

Wonwoo finally stopped pouting and turned around, “T.O.P’s dad.”

 

Minghao gasped, “AND THEY KILLED HIM?”

 

“Honey, we aren’t even twenty minutes into the movie yet, and you’ve already made us pause it and spoil the literal next scene?” Jeonghan sighed. “This is why I don’t watch movies with him.”

 

“I’m sorry! Please continue the film, I promise I won’t interrupt it again,” Minghao bowed his head in apology.

 

“I know that’s a lie, but it’s the sentiment that counts,” Jeonghan rolled his eyes.

 

Mingyu started the movie back up, and motioned for Wonwoo to cuddle up with him. He scooted over -- only a little reluctantly -- and pulled a blanket over the two of them. “I’d pick you over T.O.P any day,” Mingyu whispered in his ear.

 

Wonwoo smiled, and left a kiss on Mingyu’s cheek, “Good, because I don’t wanna fight him. I’d lose.”

 

Mingyu chuckled and wrapped his arm around Wonwoo to pull him closer, and rested his head on the older boy’s shoulder.

 

The rest of the movie was spent in muffled laughter as Jeonghan grew slightly more irritated at Minghao’s constant questions.

 

“ARE THEY DRUG SMUGGLERS?”

 

“Yes, babe.”

 

“WHO IS THIS AJUMMA? WHAT DOES SHE KNOW?”

 

“Minghaooooo, just watch and you’ll find out.”

 

“HE IS GONNA GET THIS POOR GIRL KILLED.”

 

“Baaaaaabe, shhhhh.”

 

“WHAT THE HELL, T.O.P, WHERE ARE YOU GOING?! YOU WERE SAFE! SHE WAS GONNA HELP YOU!”

 

“Minghao, please.”

 

“HOLY FRICK, THERE IS SO MUCH SHOOTING WHAT IF T.O.P GETS SH- JEONGHAN DID YOU SEE THAT, HOW CAN THEY DO THIS TO HIM?!”

 

“Minghao!”

 

“JEONGHAN HOW CAN I STAY QUIET WHEN T.O.P’S LIFE IS ON THE LINE?! HOW CAN HE SAVE THEM ALL IF HE CAN’T EVEN SAVE HIMSELF?”

 

“ _Just watch the damn ending._ ”

 

And when it ended, Minghao was completely silent, with his jaw hanging open.

 

“Now he’s fucking quiet,” Jeonghan sighs.

 

“I can’t handle this. No one told me he was going to die at the end. Take me home, angel bean. I need time to digest this movie. Make me feel better,” he pouted.

 

Jeonghan sighed, “Well, thanks for the movie. I would suggest doing this again, but I don’t want to put you through that another time.”

 

Wonwoo laughed, “It’s okay, I found your tireless banter quite hilarious. Let’s do this again some time.”

 

Mingyu nodded, “Come back and watch ‘I Saw The Devil’ with us. I’m sure Minghao will love that one.”

 

And with a roll of his eyes, Jeonghan escorted his boyfriend out of Mingyu’s dorm. Wonwoo turned to look at Mingyu with a small pout on his face, “Mingyu-ah, I’m hungry.”

 

“I can make some ramyun. Is that okay?”

 

Wonwoo smiled and nodded, following Mingyu out of his room and into the small dorm kitchenette to watch him prepare dinner. “Yah, you didn’t tell me you could cook.”

 

Mingyu chuckled, “I’m not sure cracking an egg into instant ramyun counts as cooking, but you can call me chef Mingyu tonight. Oh! I think I have some kimchi in the fridge. Grab that for me?” the boisterous chef asked, pointing his spoon towards the fridge.

 

Wonwoo walked over to the fridge and pulled out the kimchi with Mingyu’s name taped on it, and looked around the fridge for any other sides they could have, “Gyu, do you mind if I grab your radish as well?”

 

“Go for it, hyung,” he smiled at the other boy. He reached over and grabbed a knife for Wonwoo to cut the radish, then told him to mix it with the kimchi. “I like my radish spicy,” he proclaimed.

 

Wonwoo began chopping the radish into small cubes, and couldn’t help but notice how good it felt being this domestic with Mingyu. The two of them making dinner together felt so natural, with Wonwoo feeding Mingyu the radish cubes that flung onto the prep table every so often and receiving a kiss as thanks. In about twenty minutes, the boys were back in Mingyu’s room and sat around the coffee table that was still pushed to the side of the sitting room from their movie night. They sat in silence, knee-to-knee, the only sounds coming from them was the soft slurping of their ramyun. They would glance at each other from time to time, sharing smiles and winks and Wonwoo wished the night could go on forever. He didn’t have much experience with love, but he was sure there was something special between him and Mingyu. It was like his heart was a rosebud, and Mingyu was the sun that made it burst into full bloom. When they were finished, Mingyu took their bowls and chopsticks back out to the kitchenette to wash, and returned with a smile on his face.

 

“Yah, I’m stuffed,” Wonwoo declared from his spot on the floor, patting his stomach.

 

“Good, because I have no more food,” Mingyu replied, chuckling at his boyfriend.

 

“Mmmm, that’s fine. I’m not hungry for food,” Wonwoo said with a wink.

 

“Oh, are we about to continue our escapade from earlier? I _was_ promised a good night,” Mingyu replied, raising his eyebrow at Wonwoo.

 

Wonwoo stood up and walked over to Mingyu, wrapping his arms around the younger boy’s waist with a smirk, “This is true.”

 

Mingyu let his hands travel up Wonwoo’s torso and around his neck, “Let’s see if you can deliver on your promise.” And with that, his lips came crashing down onto Wonwoo’s.

 

Wonwoo moaned into the kiss and pushed Mingyu towards the closest wall, pinning him down. Mingyu groaned as his back hit the wall, and Wonwoo took the opportunity to slip his tongue into Mingyu’s mouth, asserting his dominance. Mingyu responded by dropping his hands from Wonwoo’s neck and pulled up the hem of his shirt and gripped onto his waist. Wonwoo’s skin felt hot under Mingyu’s hands, a sensation he only desired more of. He broke off their kiss and panted, “Shirt,” while tugging at Wonwoo’s shirt. He understood the curt request, and unwrapped himself from Mingyu long enough for both boys to discard their shirts on the floor.

 

Mingyu then walked Wonwoo over to the pile of blankets and pillows that was still on the ground, and pushed him down. He crouched down and crawled on top of Wonwoo, thighs straddling his hips, and started kissing up the older boy’s abdomen. Wonwoo’s eyes rolled back as his face relaxed into an expression of pure ecstasy, and his hands gripped into Mingyu’s hair, “Good god, Gyu. I want you so bad,” he breathed.

 

Mingyu made himself eye level with Wonwoo and whispered against his lips, “Then take me.”

 

∆ ∆ ∆

 

Clothes were strewn all over the living room, and the two boys lay tangled with each other and the extra blankets in the cold winter night. Even without any clothes on, they were both warm in the embrace of the other -- which was enough to keep them from freezing their balls off with Mingyu’s broken heater. Wonwoo nuzzled his face into the crook of Mingyu’s neck, and left small kisses along his shoulder. Mingyu hummed in appreciation and traced circles on Wonwoo’s lower back.

 

“This has officially been the most perfect night,” Wonwoo whispered in Mingyu’s ear.

 

Mingyu let out a deep chuckle, “Perfect night with the perfect boy.”

 

“Mmmmh yeah,” he agreed, pulling himself up so he was eye level with Mingyu. He was flush up against Mingyu’s body -- which was still acting as his main source of heat -- and he couldn’t help but notice all the sexual tension had left as soon as they had come down from their high. It was no longer sexual desire keeping their bodies together, but an innocent need to keep each other close. Wonwoo felt safe in Mingyu’s arms, and all Mingyu wanted was to hold Wonwoo close to him.

 

Wonwoo was a sunflower, and he blossomed brightest under the sun. His sun. Mingyu.

 

“Gyu~” Wonwoo’s voice sang, “What did you wish for that day? You never told me if it came true.”

 

“This.”

 

“This?”

 

“Us. To be like this. To be able to wake up in your arms. To kiss you whenever I want. For everything that comes along with being completely in love,” Mingyu admitted.

 

Wonwoo smiled and brought his lips down to meet Mingyu’s briefly, “I like this wish.”

 

Mingyu returned the kiss, but made sure to linger on Wonwoo’s lips. A kiss as delicate as the kiss of the sun’s rays upon the petals of a flower. “I like you.”

 

Wonwoo pulled one of the extra blankets over their naked bodies and snuggled down into Mingyu’s chest, exhaustion from the night’s events finally taking over his body, “I like you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SEE I TOLD YOU I WOULDN'T KEEP YOU WAITING TOO LONG FOR AN UPDATE. (I already had like half of this written before I posted the last chapter though, so...) I hope you enjoyed this chapter!!! I really wanted to get that domestic cuteness between Mingyu and Wonwoo out (and also some saucy bits) aaaaand I really wanted an excuse to write about Jeonghan and Minghao's relationship. 
> 
> I also would like to mention that the next chapter update might take a little longer. I am starting classes up again soon, and I plan on it being a long-ass chapter -- because I am a monster and want to write at least 10k for it. whoops. on that note, prepare yourselves for ultimate fluff and happiness in the next chapter.
> 
> As always, you can reach me on[Tumblr](HTTP://www.tayvengeance.tumblr.com) or [ Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/tayvengenz))  
> Thank you for reading~! I appreciate you all <3


	10. Baby it's Cold Outside

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SORRY THIS TOOK SO DAMN LONG. BUT I MADE SURE IT WAS A GOOD CHAPTER.

“I have been working with this new guy too much,” Wonwoo whined at lunch. It had been about a month since Wonwoo and Mingyu first slept together, and the Christmas season only had them coming closer together. Mingyu cuddled into his boyfriend and stroked his hair as he spoke, trying to keep him from blowing up about his coworker. “Eomma decided we needed more staff for the busy Christmas season, so now I have to work with this guy, Junfeng, who thinks he knows his job better than me.”

 

Jeonghan scoffed, “No one knows flowers better than Jeon Wonwoo.”

 

“Exactly! So he keeps bossing me around, and saying shit like, ‘Oh, hand me some sweet peas, you know, the pink ones,’ and I turn and say, ‘you’re shitting me if you think I don’t know what a sweet pea is,’ and we have a little back and forth as if I'm not his manager -- which I am -- and then he has the _gall_ to apologise to his customer as if I am causing an inconvenience. You know what else he does? He makes a note of all my freebie flowers and discounted sales _and hands it to my eomma after every shift._ What the fuck is up with that?”

 

“He rats you out to your eomma? What a dick,” Seokmin said, dumbfounded.

 

“I mean, she laughs about it and tells me not to worry because I am the assistant manager of the shop and have the authority to do these things, but it still grinds my gears.”

 

“Also, I'm pretty sure this guy is homophobic,” Mingyu added, putting a halt on stroking Wonwoo’s hair. “I went to see my lovely florist boyfriend at work last night and greeted him with a warm-hearted kiss, only to have Junfeng make gagging noises and tell us to ‘move that shit somewhere else.’”

 

“Yeah, that seems to be a valid observation,” Seungcheol agreed, shovelling bibimbap into his mouth. Sooyoung sat next to him, rolling her eyes at every spoonful he shoved in his mouth. The two had been happy together for the past month, ever since Seungcheol took her on that date. Wonwoo liked to tease Seungcheol that he couldn't have won her over without the flowers, and Seungcheol would get defensive about his manly charms that stole her heart.

 

Even though the weather outside was close to freezing and there were many places to sit and eat inside, the group of friends kept to their picnic table by the now bare tree away from the hustle and bustle of the cafeteria. Seokmin kept complaining about how cold it was, and every time he did, Jeonghan would yell at him to go back to the dorm and put his “damn parka” on. Seokmin would only shake his head and whine about the trek to the dorm, leaving Jeonghan rolling his eyes and snuggling into Minghao for warmth. Mingyu had finally given Wonwoo his parka back, so he didn't have to ask Seokmin for his anymore. The only problem with that was that since he'd gotten it back, he didn't want to wash it because it still smelled like Mingyu. This meant that Wonwoo didn’t have to ask Seokmin for his anymore.

 

“I’ve had it with this weather. I’m going to find Seungkwan and work on our next recital piece. Later losers,” Seokmin announced as he stood up and left. The rest of the table chuckled at his abrupt leave, and waved goodbye to their friend.

 

“He should have just brought his parka, dumbass,” Jeonghan stated, shaking his head after Seokmin walked away.

 

Minghao nudged him, but laughed at his boyfriend. “Says the man who won’t use a damn blanket at night and uses me for warmth.”

 

“What can I say, you're comfier and warmer than any blanket I’ve ever owned,” Jeonghan shrugged.

 

“Honestly Seungcheol, do you even breathe when you eat?” Sooyoung scolded. She grabbed Seungcheol’s spoon from him and set it down on the table. “Can we eat a meal, just once, where you’re not shoveling food into your mouth?”

 

“Ah, troubles in paradise I see,” Jeonghan inquired. “I have your solution.”

 

Intrigued, Sooyoung leaned over behind Seungcheol to better talk to Jeonghan, “Tell me your secrets.”

 

“Ask him to tell you a story as he eats. That way, he has to talk,” Jeonghan beamed, like his answer was the end-all-be-all of solutions.

 

“I can hear you discussing my eating habits behind my back,” Seungcheol exclaimed with a mouth full of bibimbap. “This is who I am, Sooyoung. The way I eat is included in the full, unedited Seungcheol Experience™ . If you want to date me, you might have to deal with minor inconveniences like my eating habits, the fact I snore, or that I’m a blanket hog. I’m sorry babe, but this is who I am, and this is how I eat.”

 

Sooyoung rolled her eyes, obviously having been through this conversation once before, and stood up to leave, leaving a kiss on Seungcheol’s head. “I’m going off to find Seulgi. I’ll see you later.” Seungcheol smiled and waved goodbye before he continued shoveling food into his mouth.

 

“Honestly, I’m on Sooyoung’s side here,” Jeonghan spoke up. “I can’t watch you eat any longer, man.”

 

“Okay, I don’t want the conversation to linger on how I eat, so I think it’s time to bring up Christmas plans. Are we having a party or what? Because I honestly think we need to have a party with all of us together. Mingyu-ah, is your dorm room big enough to have all of us in it at once?”

 

Mingyu lifts his head off Wonwoo’s shoulder and looked over at Seungcheol, “Probably. I don’t mind hosting a party if you all want to come over. It will require you all bringing the good shit. Like, someone has to bring the eggnog -- then Jeonghan will probably spike the eggnog -- we’ll need to deck the fucking halls -- since I didn’t move into my dorm with a fucking crate of Christmas shit -- and you’re all responsible for bringing presents to place under my beautiful Christmas tree that me and my wonderful boyfriend found and decorated on Sunday. I say we have the party on Christmas Eve. Is everyone chill with that plan?”

 

Jeonghan shot up at his seat, “Fuck yeah! I’ll get the nog! I have nowhere to be on Christmas Eve, so you’ll see me there.”

 

Minghao rolled his eyes, “I’ll be there. Someone has to make sure Jeonghan doesn’t get too fucked up on alcoholic eggnog. I’ll bring some Christmas sweets.”

 

“I’ll bring you proper party decor,” Seungcheol added with the last spoonful of bibimbap in his hand. “I hope you like garland, because I’m about to fuck you up on garland.”

 

Wonwoo smiled at all his friends, then brought his attention to Mingyu. “As your resident flower boy, it’s only right for me to provide poinsettias, holly and mistletoe. Did you guys know that mistletoe is actually a parasite to plants? It literally kills other plants. Also, its name actually means poop on a twig, since it usually grows where birds poop on plants. Amazing, yeah?”

 

Mingyu smiled, pulling Wonwoo closer to him as the elder rattled off mistletoe facts. “I love it when he goes all botanist like this.”

 

“Yah, Mingyu, is your kink Wonwoo talking about flowers?” Seungcheol asked, finally finished with his food and following the conversation quietly.

 

“...No…” Mingyu answered with absolutely no conviction.

 

Seungcheol and Wonwoo both erupted into fits of laughter, “IT IS?” Seungcheol hollered.

 

“IT IS,” Wonwoo confirmed. “BUT, but, to be fair,” he explains through his laughter, “I get really turned on by his dancing. Mingyu’s body rolls are my kink.”

 

“Okay, enough about me and Wonwoo’s kinks,” Mingyu cut in, his cheeks were turning a bright red, and Wonwoo could tell he was growing uncomfortable with the conversation. “We are discussing plans for a Christmas party, not how Wonwoo and I have sex.”

 

“I’m sorry, guys. It’s just that he started talking and you just lit up, so I had to ask,” Seungcheol defended.

 

“Okay, so we all have shit to bring for the party. What time should we all arrive?” Jeonghan inquired.

 

Mingyu shrugged, “I’ll make a Kakao chat and keep you all updated.”

 

“Sounds good, my man,” Seungcheol smiled. His phone alarm went off, signaling the end of his lunch, and he saluted his friends before he left.

  
Mingyu waved farewell, then leaned over and shoved his phone in Wonwoo’s face, “How's this look for a group chat?”

**Deck The Fucking Halls**

**Chat with:** ♥Woonie♥, Chinese Exchange Student from Hell, LayZboy, MingMing, Ice Cream Scoups, Diva Boo, DK

 

**Kim Mingyu:**

ANNYEONG CHINGUS! Cancel any and all plans you have for Christmas Eve.

You are now coming to my dorm room for an EXPLOSIVE™ night of eggnog, presents, and Seungkwan doing drunk norebang.

If you don't show up, we’re not friends anymore, I'm talking to you Junhui, SO FUCK UP AND COME DOWN.

 

“Why am I in love with this dork,” Wonwoo replied, rolling his eyes and rubbing his hands over his face.

 

“Because of my many endearing qualities,” Mingyu answered for his boyfriend. “Including the fact that I make bomb-ass party invite texts.” He pulled his phone back and hit **send** , watching as the three left at the table got the Kakao notification.

 

“Jeonghan, why the hell is your Kakao notification sound Obama?” Wonwoo questioned as his friend’s phone notification went off.

 

Jeonghan’s smile spread across his face, “Because it's hilarious.” His notification went off again, which only made him burst into laughter.

 

**Chinese Exchange Student From Hell:**

Fuck you, Mingyu. Wonwoo is my new best friend.

 

 **♥** **Woonie** **♥:**

Come bring me Christmas gifts. If they’re better than Mingyu’s, I’ll leave him for you.

 

**Chinese Exchange Student from Hell:**

** **

My dream come true

My gifts will cunt punt Mingyu out of the designated “boyfriend” spot in your life.

 

**Kim Mingyu:**

** **

My own boyfriend.

I can’t believe.

I expect this from Jun, but not you, babe.

 

**LayZboy:**

If Wonwoo leaves Mingyu for Jun, Minghao and I become the ultimate couple.

A Christmas miracle.

 

**Diva Boo:**

DRUUUUUUUUUUUUNK NOREBANG, SIGN ME THE HELL UP.

Also, are we in a bidding war for Wonwoo?

Because I’ll get in on this action.

Whatchu want? I got you. I can win this.

 

**Kim Mingyu:**

THIS IS NOT A BIDDING WAR FOR MY BOYFRIEND.

I HATE YOU ALL.

WHY DO I ASSOCIATE WITH YOU.

 

**DK:**

I love Christmas parties!

 

**Ice Cream Scoups:**

This is a fucking mess.

 

Wonwoo burst into laughter, and pulled Mingyu into his arms, “You know I love you.” He peppered kisses onto Mingyu’s cheek until his boyfriend cracked a smile.

 

Mingyu stood up and grabbed Wonwoo’s hand, “Wonwoo and I must leave now. I need to have a chat with my boyfriend about group chat etiquette.”

 

Jeonghan snickered and leaned over to whisper -- loud enough for Wonwoo to hear -- in Minghao’s ear, “AKA, please excuse us while we go home and fuck.”

 

Wonwoo turned to face Jeonghan as Mingyu pulled him up and away from the table, “You’re lucky you’re my elder and that Mingyu is currently dragging me away from this table, because I’d slap you for that comment!”

 

Jeonghan stuck his tongue out at the two as they walked away from the table and back to the dorms.

 

“Yo, we should probably stop by the flower shop and grab my paycheck. I forgot to get it after my shift yesterday,” Wonwoo said as the two boys started walking away.

 

“Is Junfeng working?” Mingyu asked, pulling Wonwoo close to his side. “I can make him uncomfortable by being gay with you as payback for him being a dick.”

 

Wonwoo smiled, “He _is_ working. Be as gay as your queer heart desires, it’ll give my eomma a good laugh.” Mingyu snickered at that, and Wonwoo became the one to pull Mingyu in the correct direction.

 

On the way to the flower shop, Wonwoo told more stories about why he hated Junfeng, then veered into facts about poinsettias. Mingyu was glad to have him fill the silence as they walked hand-in-hand down the street and over to the flower shop. The two walked in and were greeted by Mingyu’s mom, who gave them a quizzical look.

 

“Yah, why are you here? It's your day off,” she questioned.

 

Wonwoo gave her a sheepish laugh, “I forgot to grab my paycheck yesterday while I was working, so I came to get it. Also, Mingyu wanted flowers.”

 

Wonwoo’s favourite smile spread across Mingyu’s face at the mention of flowers, “The last bouquet Wonwoo gave me is about to die. I need fresh flowers for my dorm at all times to signify that my boyfriend loves me.” Mingyu shrugged and pulled Wonwoo over to the poinsettia display. “Hyuuuuuung, I need festive flowers!”

 

Wonwoo’s mom smiled and shook her head softly, “I’ll be right back with your check. You can make Mingyu’s bouquet while I look for it.”

 

The second Wonwoo’s mom disappeared into her office, Junfeng walked over to the two boys, “Can I help you with anything?” He directed his question to Mingyu.

 

“No, you most certainly can’t,” he spat, distaste for the other boy plain on his face.

 

“Not to brag or anything, but I’m kind of the best florist here. Maybe you really do need my help.”

 

Mingyu snorted, “Yeah, and I’m Song Joong-ki.” He spun on his heels and pulled Wonwoo with him to a flower display, turning around to add, “Oh, also, I only accept bouquets from Wonwoo, and you’re not him so…”

 

“Wow Wonwoo, some boyfriend you have there,” Junfeng sneered.

 

“Right? He hates you just about as much as I do! It's amazing.” Wonwoo exclaimed.

 

“You only hate me because I'm competition for you here. Not the only handsome botanist in town anymore,” he explained with a smug look on his face.

 

Wonwoo just shrugged, “I’m a musician. I don't really have a passion for flowers, i just know a lot about them.” His demeanor changed then, and he suddenly grew more  confident in his words. “Also, as your manager _and_ your elder, I'm gonna give you a final warning that you need to respect me in the workplace. You don't have to like me, or be all buddy-buddy with me, you just have to respect me and what I do. I'm done letting you off the hook, kid. This is my family’s flower shop, and if you want to keep your job here, you will respect me.”

 

Junfeng stared Wonwoo down, about to open his mouth to say something in response, but stopped as Ms. Jeon walked back with Wonwoo’s check. “Here you go, son. You get your bouquet made yet?”

 

Wonwoo shook his head, “We were distracted by an annoying obstacle. I'm gonna make it now though.”

 

Ms. Jeon smiled as Wonwoo and Mingyu walked over to the flower display they were originally headed to. Wonwoo smiled when he saw the flowers and immediately went to work, grabbing things and searching for the perfect flowers. He began with holly leaves, then added in some small evergreen branches.

 

“You know,” Wonwoo began, pulling some flowers from a nearby display, “there’s something completely ironic in giving you a cyclamen.” He grabbed four of the red/white gradient flowers and showed them off to Mingyu. “They represent shyness, and you are the furthest thing from shy.”

 

Mingyu laughed, “This _is_ true. Only person less shy than me is probably Seokmin.”

 

“Fuck, that's so true.” Wonwoo said with a sigh, most likely re-living all the times Seokmin was extra with him. “I've had some embarrassing public experiences with that boy. Mostly just involving him yelling in places he shouldn't be yelling.”

 

Mingyu laughed loudly at that remark, proving once again to Wonwoo that he had no shame.

 

“Although,” he added as his boyfriend calmed down, “I must say the snapdragon and the paperwhite narcissus fit you well.”

 

“Why? What do they mean?” Mingyu asked, genuinely curious about the flowers.

 

“That you’re presumptuous and egotistical.”

 

Mingyu gasped and threw up his hands, “That’s it!” He pulled out of Wonwoo’s arms and pretended he was going to walk away, “Jun can _have_ you.”

 

This time it was Wonwoo who was laughing hysterically as he chased after his boyfriend with the winter bouquet, “Come back my sweet pea!” He looked around the shop real quick to locate a flower and found a red tulip, holding it out in Mingyu’s direction, “I love you!”

 

Mingyu smiled and walked over to Wonwoo’s outstretched hand, taking the tulip from him, “I suppose I love you too, you big dork.”

 

Junfeng snorted from the other side of the shop where he was watering plants, “Get a room.”

 

Ms. Jeon let out a small sigh and looked over at Wonwoo, “Are you two quite finished yet?”

 

Wonwoo broke his gaze from Mingyu and looked over at his mom, “Yah, eomma, I’m just finishing this up.” He walked back over to where his mom was, and showed her the bouquet, “The perfect bouquet for my needy boyfriend.”

 

His mom laughed and motioned for Mingyu to come over to the counter, “Did Wonwoo tell you about these flowers?”

 

Mingyu nodded, “He did, and I’m still low-key upset with him.”

 

The smile on Ms. Jeon’s face only grew, “Yah, my son is an idiot, but he does love you. Well, you boys better go on and get to studying. Homework doesn’t do itself you know.”

 

“But eomma, I haven’t paid for my bouquet yet,” Wonwoo said, surprised that his mom would let him out of the shop without giving her money for the flowers.

 

“It’ll just come out of your paycheck. Now go on!”

 

Wonwoo gave his mom a big smile before he grabbed Mingyu’s hand and began walking out of the shop. They both turned around and gave her a wave before they exited the shop and made their way back to Mingyu’s dorm. Wonwoo looked up to the sky and noted how thick and fluffy the clouds looked, and looked down to Mingyu’s silvery hair that was bouncing on his head as he walked. _Light and fluffy like the clouds_ , Wonwoo thought. “Did you know that an Alyssum flower can grow in the shade? It’s not the only flower to do so, but I find the small white flowers to be quite beautiful.”

 

Mingyu looked down to his boyfriend with a quizzical look, “What brought this on?”

 

“Your hair reminds me of the clouds, so I was thinking about flowers that grow with cloud coverage,” Wonwoo explained, smiling to himself as he thought about comparing his sunshine to the clouds that bring rain. Mingyu let out a small chuckle and stopped walking. He pulled Wonwoo close to him -- obviously making sure not to crush the flowers in his hands -- and leaned down to capture the older boy’s lips with his own. “What brought that on,” Wonwoo whispered as their lips separated and they stared into each other’s eyes.

 

“Sometimes you say the most poetic things, and I don’t think you realize you do it. But you do, and honestly it kind of turns me on,” Mingyu admitted, leaning his forehead against his boyfriend’s. They shared a loving smile before they pulled apart and began walking again.

 

“‘Twas the nightmare before Christmas and all though the house, not a creature was peaceful --  not even a mouse. The stockings all hung by the chimney with care, when opened that morning would cause quite a scare!,” Wonwoo recited.

 

“What are you doing?” Mingyu asked, taken back by Wonwoo’s sudden outburst in Christmas poetry.

 

“Reciting you a fucking Christmas poem, since you just said my poetic nature was a turn on,” Wonwoo defended.

 

“So you decided The Nightmare Before Christmas was the most festive poem you could recite to get me into your pants tonight?” Mingyu clarified, completely amused by the fact his boyfriend even knew the poem in the first place.

 

Wonwoo nodded, “When we get to your dorm, I’ll finish reciting it, and by the time Jack is delivering presents, you’ll be all over me.”

 

“I take everything back. You're ridiculous and looking at your face is a huge turn off,” Mingyu countered, laughing when Wonwoo started to play fight him.

 

The two neared Mingyu’s dorm, playfighting the rest of the way -- Wonwoo made sure to keep the bouquet out of Mingyu’s reach -- when Mingyu spoke up again, “Also, I never said you reciting poetry was a turn on. I said your words sound poetic when you get lost in thought. Big difference.”

 

Wonwoo rolled his eyes and lightly shoved the younger boy away from him. The boys fell into another fit of laughter and play fighting until they walked up to the dorm building and Mingyu had to fumble around in his pockets for his key. “For Christmas, I’m getting you a lanyard so you never have to spend five minutes feeling yourself up for your key,” Wonwoo stated after Mingyu finally found his key and called the elevator down.

 

Mingyu smiled as they stepped into the elevator, pulling Wonwoo into his embrace, “Aw, you _do_ love me!” The elevator doors opened, and the two boys stumbled out to meet Junhui. “Yah, Jun! What are you getting up to?”

 

Junhui looked at the two boys with a cocked eyebrow, “Going to the library. You guys?”

 

“Gonna eat some ramyun and watch an American Christmas movie. Did you want to join us? It’ll be way more fun than anything you could do in the library,” Mingyu replied, smiling at his best friend.

 

Junhui chuckled, “You sure I won't be third-wheeling?”

 

Wonwoo snorted, “Mingyu and I have basically surpassed the ‘dating’ stage and entered the ‘domestic’ stage of our relationship, so unless hanging out with your parents counts as third-wheeling, then you’re safe.”

 

Junhui shrugged and followed the two boys to Mingyu’s room. When they entered, Mingyu proceeded to take his bouquet from Wonwoo and switched out his dead flowers for the wintery ensemble. Wonwoo made his way over to the living area and slumped down onto a pile of pillows at the base of the couch. “Come here Jun! Cuddle with me while Mingyu makes food!” Wonwoo demanded, patting the pile of pillows. Junhui rolled his eyes and walked over to his friend, only to be pulled down into Wonwoo’s embrace the second he drew close enough. He let out a yelp as he went down, but then both boys burst into laughter as Junhui hit the pillows.

 

“Well, the little Christmas tree is cute,” Junhui commented as he snuggled into the pillows and Wonwoo.

 

“Thanks. I picked it out,” Wonwoo smiled, proud of his pick.

 

“So, what American Christmas movie are we watching?” Junhui asked, already sure of what Mingyu had chosen.

 

Mingyu piped in as he walked into the living area from the bathroom, “Elf!”

 

“Motherfucker,” Junhui cursed, his intuition correct once again.

 

Wonwoo turned to look at Junhui, “What’s wrong with Elf?”

 

Junhui sighed before he responded, “It's Mingyu’s favourite Christmas movie, and he makes me watch it like a thousand times every year.”

 

“Oh my god, this is my future,” Wonwoo realised with horror, looking at his boyfriend with wide eyes.

 

“Hey, there is nothing wrong with Elf!” Mingyu scolded his two friends, “It is a funny movie that still holds up to this day.”

 

“It's funny like once a year, but you overkill it, man,” Junhui complained.

 

“I do no such thing.” Mingyu scoffed. He stuck his tongue out at Junhui and put the disc in, walking out of the dorm as the start menu popped up to the kitchen to prepare their ramyun.

 

“I've never watched Elf,” Wonwoo admitted, staring at the obnoxious menu screen. The cheerful Christmas music that played along filled any silence that came about.

 

Junhui shrugged against him, “You’ll enjoy it the first few times you watch it with him, but by the time the Christmas season is over you’ll want to shoot Mingyu the moment you see him with that fucking DVD.”

 

Wonwoo burst into laughter, imagining his first fight with Mingyu being over a Christmas movie. “You see Jun, I don't have to watch it every time, because I'm able to distract Mingyu. Sure the movie might be on, but that won't mean me and Mingyu are actively watching it.”

 

This time it was Junhui who burst into laughter, “Please let me know the first time you guys have sex to Elf. Also please tell me if either of you discover any weird kinks related to having sex to Elf.”

 

Wonwoo laughed and playfully shoved Junhui away from him. Junhui got his revenge by scooting close to Wonwoo and squeezing his sides. Wonwoo yelped, and Junhui knew he had hit the spot, so he continued to tickle Wonwoo. This went on until Mingyu came back with three bowls of ramyun and yelled at Junhui to ‘keep his hands off his man.’

 

The three finished their ramyun fairly quickly, and Wonwoo offered to clean the dishes for his boyfriend, receiving a quick kiss and a slap on the ass as he walked out of the dorm and over to the kitchen. Mingyu took the moment to talk to his best friend alone, “How long have you been into him?” Mingyu asked, turning to look at Junhui.

 

“Wha-”

 

“Junhui, you can't deny this one. You look at Wonwoo the same way I look at Wonwoo, the same way he looks at me. I just want to know how long you’ve been into him, because last I knew you were chasing down that beautiful girl from Seokmin and Seungkwan’s first recital.”

 

“He gave me flowers! Out of the blue, one day he said, ‘I'm sorry if I spend too much time with your best friend, it's just that I think I love him.’ And then he handed me this bouquet of beautiful flowers and asked me if I wanted to know what each one meant, and I said yes because I wanted to know what Wonwoo thought of me. It was the most damn thoughtful thing anyone has ever given me, and I started to fall. I'm sorry Mingyu, I know he's your boyfriend -- and trust me when I say I would never ever come between you two -- but he's special.”

 

Mingyu smiled, watching Wonwoo enter the room again with the clean bowls, “Yeah, he is.”

 

Wonwoo put the bowls with Mingyu’s other miscellaneous kitchenware on a shelf, and walked back to the pillow fortress, snuggling up against Junhui. Once he was settled, he looked up at Mingyu, who was sitting on the sofa behind them, “We watching this shit or what?”

 

Mingyu chuckled and finally pressed play, ending the maddening start menu loop.

 

✿ ✿ ✿

 

**To: wonWOW**

**Message: Fuck, I don’t know what to get Mingyu for Christmas. What did you get him?**

 

**To: Chinese Prince**

**Message: I’m bringing him flowers, his favourite foreign chocolates, a lanyard, and I bought him 100 loot boxes in Overwatch so he can get all the legendary skins his heart desires.**

 

**To: wonWOW**

**Message: FUCK that’s good, he’ll love it.**

**WHAT SHOULD I DO?**

 

**To: Chinese Prince**

**Message: Give him some mochi ice cream and an action figure of Buddy the Elf.**

 

**To: wonWOW**

**Message: FUCK DOES THAT EXIST?**

**THERE IS A FUNKO POP FIGURE THAT IS ABOUT TO BE MINGYU’S.**

 

**To: Chinese Prince**

**Message: (=^▽^)σ I’M DEAD**

 

Wonwoo looked up from his phone as he heard the front doors open. He smiled when he realized it was Seungcheol and Jeonghan and waved them over to the checkout counter.

 

“Where is your coworker from hell?” Jeonghan inquired.

 

“He has the day off. Fucker is going to see The Nutcracker tonight,” Wonwoo answered, clearly salty over his coworker’s whereabouts. “So, what brings you two in? Need flowers?”

 

“We do,” Jeonghan answered. “Seokmin and Seungkwan _just_ told us their second recital is tonight, and that they are singing Baby It's Cold Outside together, and there is no way in hell we are missing this.”

 

Seungcheol laughed in agreement, “Are you off soon?”

 

Wonwoo checked the time on his phone, “I'm off at 5, so I still have about an hour and a half left. I can meet you guys outside of your dorm after I get changed.”

 

“Sounds good!” Seungcheol agreed. “Now, about those flowers… We thought it would be overkill if all of us individually got them both flowers, so we figured doing two big bouquets from the whole group would be best. Give us the best you got, flower boy.”

 

Wonwoo chuckled, but nodded in agreement. “Good thinking, guys. Don’t worry, I’ll make them the best bouquets ever! Also,” he continued as he started grabbing flowers left and right, running throughout the store as he went along. “Seokmin’s English is shit, and I'm pretty sure Seungkwan’s isn't much better. How did these two idiots manage to learn an English Christmas song?”

 

Jeonghan chuckled, “Apparently there is a boy who grew up in America in their class, and he helped them out with their song.”

 

Wonwoo chuckled, “Good for them. Well, I'm excited to hear this! Those two are good together.” He smiled as the first bouquet came together, gently handing it over to Seungcheol to hold. He admired it as it was placed into his hands and gave Wonwoo a thumbs up on his handy work. Wonwoo got to work on Seungkwan’s bouquet next, making sure to grab flashy flowers for their friend’s flashy personality. He mixed them in with some lucky charms -- _not_ the cereal, just to clarify -- and handed the second bouquet to Jeonghan. “So, how are you guys paying?”

 

“Awwwww, but you don’t make Mingyu pay for flowers!” Jeonghan complained.

 

“Yes, but you see, Mingyu is my boyfriend,” Wonwoo shrugged, punching in the total into the cash register.

 

“So if we fuck you, can we get free flowers too?” Seungcheol quipped.

 

Wonwoo reached over the counter and smacked Seungcheol with a roll of wrapping paper, to which the elder just laughed and raised his hands over his head to avoid getting his face swatted at. “Your total,” Wonwoo continued after whacking his friend a few good times, “comes out to 50,000 won. Are you two going to split it?”

 

“Hell yeah we are, I’m not made of cash,” Jeonghan replied.

 

“You know, I could have easily made both of those bouquets 50,000 won each.”

 

“And you didn’t, and we love you for it, but do you really need to fish for thank yous right now? Goodness, Wonwoo,” Seungcheol joked.

 

Wonwoo rolled his eyes and took the 25,000 won from each boy, then swiftly bid them goodbye. Sometimes he questioned the company he kept. Once they were gone, he began his closing duties: sweeping up the shop, trimming the flowers, and reorganizing the displays. Thankfully, the girl who usually replaces him came early today, so Wonwoo was able to leave with ample time before he was supposed to meet his friends.

 

Upon returning to his dorm, Wonwoo was greeted with a note from Seokmin that read: _Get your ass to my Christmas showcasel! I'm sorry I didn't give you guys any advance warning, but I wanted it to be a surprise._ Wonwoo chuckled to himself and grabbed the note off the front desk, walking into his room to find something to wear. He ended up in one of the many sweaters he stole from Mingyu. It was a big black sweater with thick white stripes at the bottom and random stylistic holes with orange patches behind them. It was big on Mingyu, so naturally Wonwoo disappeared into the piece of clothing. He paired the sweater with some black skinny jeans and black Doc Martens, checking himself in the mirror to make sure he looked good.

 

Even though he knew it was going to be dark in the auditorium and that literally no one cared what he wore, Wonwoo still had to make sure he looked good against Mingyu. The thing with Mingyu was, he made pyjamas look good. Wonwoo was positive Mingyu could dunk his head in a bucket of orange highlighter ink and he'd still look like the most beautiful person in the room -- at least he was pretty sure….

 

Nonetheless, Wonwoo _did_ look good. With a nod and a finger gun to his reflection, Wonwoo grabbed his room key and his wallet before ditching the dorm to meet his friends. Minghao and Jeonghan were outside his dorm when he stepped off the elevator and out into the cold. “Wow, Wonwoo. Who you dressed up for?” Jeonghan smirked as his friend came into view.

 

“It can't be Mingyu,” Seungcheol added, coming up behind Jeonghan, “I hear he prefers it when you dress down.” Sooyoung smacked him on the back of the head and shot him a look that read, _shut the fuck up._ “Worth it.”

 

“Speaking of Mingyu…” Minghao cut in, nodding over to the tall boy as he walked up behind Wonwoo. He's quick to wrap his arms around Wonwoo’s waist and nuzzle his face into the crook of his boyfriend’s neck.

 

“What about me?” Mingyu asked, voice muffled by Wonwoo’s shoulder.

 

“Nothing. Just that you'd rather see Wonwoo naked than in clothing,” Seungcheol answered, making sure to back away from Sooyoung’s reach as he spoke. It didn't stop her from shooting him daggers.

 

Mingyu moved away from Wonwoo to stand in front of him and look him over, “Actually, I think he's sexiest in my clothing -- and might I say -- this look is the best I've seen on him all week.” He smiled and held out his hand for Wonwoo to take, leading the group across campus to the auditorium.

 

Wonwoo did a mental victory dance, happy the fuss over his looks didn’t go to waste. He let go of Mingyu’s hand and snuck his arm around his boyfriend’s waist, nuzzling up to him as they walked. Mingyu didn't question the action, he simply held onto Wonwoo tightly and smiled to himself.

 

“Those two are so cute,” Sooyoung sighed, resting her head on Seungcheol’s shoulder as they followed their friends.

 

Seungcheol chuckled softly, “They sure are. Way cuter than the monstrosity behind us.”

 

“Hey, I heard that!” Jeonghan yelled from behind Seungcheol.

 

Seungcheol turned his head to look behind him, “Good! I wanted you to!”

 

Jeonghan flipped him off. The six friends all strolled into the auditorium one-by-one and sat themselves next to Junhui in the middle of centre stage. Junhui, they found out, had come with Seungkwan and Seokmin so that he could have some time to flirt with their English coach, Jisoo. Mingyu rolled his eyes and called him a Chinese whore, which made the boys laugh a little louder than they should have in the auditorium.

 

“He's just so soft and beautiful, but I'm like 80% sure he's with that Soonyoung kid,” Junhui lamented as the laughing died down.

 

“Kwon Soonyoung, the dancing major? I didn't know he was gay,” Seungcheol commented from down the line. He shrugged his shoulders, “makes sense though.”

 

“No, no. He’s with that one dancer girl…” Minghao paused to think of her name, “Choi Yoojung!”

 

“Yeah! They did a really beautiful dance together at the last dance recital that was like a physical representation of love or some shit,” Jeonghan added.

 

“Well now, that means Captain America is available to get it with our friend Junhui over here,” Mingyu said, draping an arm around Junhui’s shoulders.

 

“I’d very much appreciate if the conversation moved away from me,” Junhui mumbled, shrugging off Mingyu’s arm. To Junhui’s relief, the house lights went down and the emcee stepped on stage to introduce the winter showcase. The program said Seokmin and Seungkwan would be last to perform, so the boys all sat back and enjoyed the hour full of Christmas songs in Korean -- complete with a group of boys singing and dancing to GOT7’s Confession song. The music was lovely, the company was good, and the boys thoroughly enjoyed themselves… and then Seokmin and Seungkwan came on stage. Wonwoo wanted to scream as the two boys walked out dressed like they were in the movie Elf; Seokmin as Buddy and Seungkwan his love interest. This was 100% Mingyu’s fault and Wonwoo would be sure to scold his boyfriend later about his excessive viewings Elf poisoning the minds of their friends. The lights on stage faded, and the instrumental track started playing.

 

The light shone on Seungkwan -- stage left -- and he began to sing, “I really can't stay…”

From stage right, Seokmin burst into light, “But baby, it's cold outside!”

Seungkwan moved towards Seokmin, “I've got to go away...”

Seokmin bounded over towards Seungkwan, “But baby, it's cold outside!”

Seungkwan offered his hand for Seokmin to take, “This evening has been...”

Seokmin takes his hand, and immediately the two boys start dancing around. Seokmin spins Seungkwan out and back into his arms, “Been hoping that you'd drop in.”

The two sway back and forth in rhythm, “So very nice~”

Seokmin twirls Seungkwan back out, and they continue to dance. “I'll hold your hands, they're just like ice!”

Mingyu leaned over to whisper into Wonwoo’s ear, but his soft chuckles prevented him from talking to his boyfriend, so the two just silently laughed together as their friends paraded across the stage like dorks. Wonwoo looked around him to notice all of his friends trying to control their laughter as well.

 

“Do they know how ridiculous they are?” Junhui whispered between snorts.

 

Mingyu squeezed his eyes shut and smiled wide, nodding at Junhui. “They did this on purpose,” he let out with some difficulty.

 

“I can’t believe Seokmin convinced Seungkwan to wear that female elf costume,” Seungcheol snickered.

 

“Oh, of all this, _that’s_ the part you can’t believe?” Minghao questions.

 

“If anyone convinced anyone to do anything, it was Seungkwan convincing Seokmin to wear the elf costume,” Jeonghan noted.

 

The six boys and Sooyoung all laughed even harder at that, making sure their chuckles didn’t get too loud.

 

“I really can’t stay…” Seungkwan dramatically turned away from Seokmin. He turned his head just as dramatically as before to look back at his friend, “Ah, but it's cold outside!”

 

Seokmin sang along with Seungkwan as he turned around, “Baby, it's cold outside!”

 

Wonwoo was the first to jump up and applaud his friends, with everyone else quickly following his example. The seven friends cheered and clapped as loud as they could, yelling and catcalling their two friends. The standing ovation lasted a good minute before the crowd calmed down and Junhui lead the group out of the auditorium to meet their friends. Seokmin and Seungkwan found them immediately, yelling excitedly at their friends as they all joined up.

 

“You guys are ridiculous,” Seungcheol said, handing Seokmin his bouquet.

 

“I hated every minute of your song,” Jeonghan stated, giving Seungkwan his bouquet.

 

“Your English was surprisingly good though. I was impressed,” Junhui commended.

 

“I’ve never hated and loved something at the same time, but you just proved I could,” Wonwoo said with an eyeroll. He slapped Seokmin on the back and pulled his elf hat off, placing it on Mingyu’s head.

 

“I absolutely adored every second,” Mingyu congratulated with a grin plastered across his face.

 

“Thank you, thank you,” Seokmin grinned, “We thought this would be a good way to kick off the Christmas festivities. You all got to see our amazing performance tonight, and then we have our party tomorrow, and then well what do you know it’s Christmas.”

 

“This was a good laugh, and a good time,” Sooyoung smiled, pulling both boys into a quick hug. “I absolutely adored it.”

 

“I have one request for you two,” Junhui interjected. “Please tell Jisoo to come to our party so I can make out with that fine man under some mistletoe.”

  
The group burst out into laughter and ‘whoops’, egging on Junhui’s lil’ crush. Seokmin nodded and said he would ask when they went back to the dressing room to change, thus ending the meet and greet for the night.

 

 

**Dokyeom:**

Joshua said he’ll come for a little bit

 

**Wen Junhui:**

** **

 

**WonWOW:**

I am hurt and offended that you would just desert your love for me so quickly

 

**Wen Junhui:**

Sorry darlin’

Have you seen him tho??

아주 Nice

Dokyeom added Hong Jisoo to the chat!

 

**Wen Junhui:**

Fuck.

 

**Hong Jisoo:**

Uh

 

**Victoria’s Secret Angel:**

 

**WonWOW:**

Seokminnie, I’m not coming home tonight. I’m gonna help Mingyu prepare his dorm for tomorrow night.

 

**Victoria’s Secret Angel:**

“Prepare Mingyu’s dorm”

;)

We all know what that means

 

**WonWOW:**

Fuck off, Jeonghan.

 

**Dokyeom:**

Have a nice night, buddy!

Also thanks again everyone for coming tonight!

 

**Wen Junhui:**

I s2g Jeonghan if you make a joke about Mingyu or Wonwoo

 

**Hong Jisoo:**

I’m lost, why did you add me to this, Seokmin?

Wait is Junhui the guy who was chillin with Seokmin and Seungkwan earlier?

 

**Victoria’s Secret Angel:**

I won’t, i’ll let your mind do the dirty jokes

 

**Dokyeom:**

This is our party planning chat.

I added you because you said you’d come

And this is what you’re going to get at the party.

 

**Wen Junhui:**

Yeah, that’s me.

 

**Hong Jisoo:**

Well hello there, I couldn’t help but notice how attractive you were

Good job on that face of yours

 

**Tall Stoop™**

Wow this chat got really gay really fast

How’s it feel, Seungcheol

To be the only man here with a lady to call your own

 

**Wen Junhui:**

I don’t deserve you

Wow

 

**Chicken Coups:**

CAN YOU ALL SHUT THE FUCK UP, I’M TRYING TO SLEEP

GOD FUCKING DAMMIT

 

✿ ✿ ✿

 

“Okay, if you put Elf on again I swear to God I'm going to murder you,” Wonwoo declared as he hung mistletoe throughout the dorm room.

 

“Okay, okay. No more Elf,” Mingyu replied, waving his hands in surrender.

 

“You know, I never liked that movie, and now I absolutely hate it,” Seokmin confessed, taking garland around any surface he deemed fit.

  
“It's not _that_ bad,” Seungkwan added, placing small baubles along all the garland. “Mingyu just overdid it.”

 

“Like he does every year,” Junhui added. He was pouring eggnog into a punch bowl, making sure to add in a decent serving of rum.

 

“Just leave the rest of the rum on the counter, I’m sure we’ll end up drinking it,” Seungcheol instructed. He was placing the finishing touches on all of the garland -- aka fixing the baubles and adding in holly berries and bows.

 

The dorm door opened suddenly, and Jeonghan walked in, followed by Minghao and Jisoo. “We brought the food! And also Jisoo. Say hello everyone!” he yelled from the doorway.

 

The boys all paused what they were working on to welcome Jisoo to their party, assuring him the festivities would begin momentarily.

 

“Wow, Jeonghan. How much chicken did you get?” Seungcheol asked, eyeing the buckets Jeonghan set on the table

 

“Enough,” he shrugged.

 

“Okay,” Wonwoo clapped his hands as he stepped down from the chair he was using as a ladder. “That was the last bit of mistletoe. There are a total of 5 bushels in this dorm, and Christmas law states that if you are caught under the mistletoe with another person, you have to kiss them. This is mistletoe war. It’s here to destroy relationships and build new ones. Stay alert boys.”

 

“Let me remind you that three of us here, are not gay,” Seungcheol reminded his friends.

 

“So how about cheek kisses for us,” Seokmin suggestd.

 

“Not that we don’t love you all, but kissing boys just isn’t as appealing to us as it is to you,” Seungkwan added. The three of them held out thumbs up to their friends and smiled as their friends responded likewise.

 

“I’m going to make a ‘death by mistletoe’ chart,” Junhui said, walking into Mingyu’s room to find some paper. He came back out with a sheet, some coloured markers, and a sharpie pen, then wrote everyone’s name down the left side of the paper, and again along the top. “Okay, so whenever you get caught under the mistletoe, we’ll put a small ‘X’ in both spaces where your two names meet. And don’t fill the space with one giant ‘X,’ because you could get caught with the same person more than once. Everyone got it?” Everyone nodded and Junhui smiled, grabbing a piece of tape and posting the chart on the nearest wall.

 

Wonwoo moved the chair back into Mingyu’s room, Seungcheol placed his bag of extra decorations off to the side, and Mingyu finished setting up the stereo to his TV set. As soon as the Christmas music started playing, the boys all cheered and began their night of festivities.

 

It only took about half an hour for the first casualties of the mistletoe war to surface, and everyone turned in concern when they heard Seungkwan shriek as Minghao’s lips came in contact with his right cheek. Everyone cheered afterwards, and clapped Seungkwan on the back for being a good sport. Junhui marked an ‘X’ in both their squares and gave them a thumbs up.

 

And this is how the night went. The boys would mingle, eat, and whoop and holler as each victim got caught under the mistletoe. The best moments came from kissing either Seungkwan, Seokmin, or Seungcheol, since they would yelp and shriek as their friends kissed them. Seungkwan and Seokmin ended up having to kiss each other three separate times, causing a commotion with each meeting. Jeonghan and Minghao used the mistletoe as an excuse to make out with each other, and after the fifth meeting, Junhui stopped counting them. Junhui ended up kissing Jisoo a total of three times -- three glorious and too short times -- but they didn’t compare to the two kisses he stole from Wonwoo. He was sure Mingyu stared at them very intently each time, knowing that Junhui had developed a crush on Wonwoo, and that was probably the only thing keeping his lips from lingering too long on Wonwoo’s. Mingyu took his boyfriend back, and Junhui stopped counting their mistletoe encounters after the fourth one.

 

Wonwoo and Jeonghan met three times under the mistletoe, and each time was more dramatic than the last. The first time, both boys snickered and gave each other a quick peck on the lips. The second time, they called out to Minghao who turned around just in time to see their lips connect in a deep kiss -- he immediately pulled Jeonghan away for himself. The third time, they called out to Mingyu, who looked over in time to see Jeonghan French dip Wonwoo and place a mischievous kiss upon his lips. Mingyu rolled his eyes and pulled Wonwoo against him.

 

After about four hours of the mistletoe war, the boys decided to call truce, and Wonwoo was forced to take four of the plants down. Jeonghan ended up being the most kissed, and Seungcheol ended up being the one with the least kisses.

 

 

Once the chart was done and the casualties were tallied, the boys decided to do their gift swaps. Seungcheol appointed himself Santa Claus, and started throwing gifts in the direction of their recipients.

 

“Unfortunately, we don’t have anything for Jisoo, since you were invited yesterday night, but do know that we are very pleased you came to join us today,” Seungcheol announced.

 

“Take Junhui as a gift from all of us,” Mingyu added, earning a laugh from the group and a glare from Junhui.

 

“Good enough for me,” Jisoo smiled, pulling Junhui into his embrace.

 

With that, the boys started opening their gifts from each other with exclamations of excitement -- and occasionally an eyeroll and sarcasm.

 

“I’m shitting myself,” Mingyu said with a grin, opening Junhui’s gift to him. “I can’t believe you found a funko pop figure of Buddy the Elf. This is the most beautiful thing.” He walked over to his friend and pulled him into a big hug, “You’re the best friend a guy could ever ask for, Wen Junhui.” The Chinese boy smiled and reminded himself to thank Wonwoo for the gift advice later.

 

“Jisoo!” Seungkwan yelled. Jisoo turned to look over at his friend and snorted. Seungkwan was holding up a shirt with English writing on it that was a present from Seokmin, “What does it say?”

 

“It’s Britney, bitch,” Jisoo translated. The group broke out into laughter, and Seungkwan was on the floor.

 

“It’s perfect!” he let out between chortles.

 

Seokmin gave him a thumbs up and a big smile in return, “I’m glad you like it. I thought it was perfect for you. You are talented much like Britney Spears.”

 

“Thank you. I hope to be an idol like her one day,” Seungkwan smiled as he pulled his friend into a hug.

 

“Wonwoo hyung! Open my gift to you!” Mingyu requested, sitting down next to his boyfriend. Wonwoo smiled and grabbed the flimsy parcel with his name written in Mingyu’s quick handwriting. He pulled off the wrapping to reveal a fantastic sweater. It was a big, soft, pink, floral sweater. He smiled wide and immediately pulled it on over his shirt. The size was to his liking -- Mingyu’s size -- and the sleeves enveloped his hands to his satisfaction. It was the perfect sweater for him.

 

“Mingyu-ah. I don’t know what to say. This is the best gift!” Wonwoo smiled and pulled his boyfriend close, rubbing their noses together like Eskimos.

 

Mingyu giggled, “The perfect sweater for the perfect boyfriend. Now you don’t need to steal my sweaters, because you have this perfect one to wear all the time!”

 

Wonwoo laughed, “As if I’d ever stop wearing your clothes. But this really is a beautiful gift. I am grateful to you.

 

Mingyu decided with a grin to open Wonwoo’s gift to him, grinning even bigger as his eyes beheld what was inside the parcel. “Hyung! This is the best gift!” he exclaimed.

 

“Because you deserve the best!” Wonwoo smiled, taking Mingyu’s hand into his. “The best chocolates, the best bouquet, the best lanyard -- did you see that it’s your idol T.O.P -- and the best chance at getting the best legendary skins on Overwatch,” Wonwoo smiled. Mingyu put his gift to the side and pulled Wonwoo towards him, leaning in to give him a thank you kiss.

 

“I don’t deserve such a loving and caring hyung,” Mingyu smiled, placing his forehead against Wonwoo’s.

  
“Get a room!” Jeonghan shouted from his position snuggled against Minghao. The group burst into laughter, and Wonwoo flipped his friend off.

 

“I’m glad I got to spend this holiday in the company of you all,” Jisoo said as everyone calmed down. “You’re all such genuine people, and I can tell how much you care about each other. Thank you for letting me join in on the festive fun.”

 

Junhui took his hands and smiled, “The pleasure is ours.”

 

“Don’t be a stranger,” Seokmin added. “You’re definitely part of the crew now.”

 

Jisoo smiled shyly, “Thank you. I really appreciate you guys.”

 

“Now that we have exchanged gifts and sappy thank yous, I think it’s time for me to kick all your asses in norebang!” Seungkwan exclaimed, already running up to the makeshift stage to begin his reign as norebang champion.

 

“Ah, competitive norebang. Seungkwan is too good at this, I don’t even want to try and go against him,” Junhui sighed.

 

“Ah, but I accept his challenge!” Jisoo jumped up and walked over to where Seungkwan was getting ready to  sing.

 

“It takes note of pitch, so make sure you’re singing correctly. That’s how you score,” Seungkwan explained.

 

He and Jisoo sang together for a good hour while everyone else just mingled and messed around with their presents. Mingyu went through his Overwatch winter loot crates and ended up with most of the special skins, voice clips, and intros. Wonwoo watched as he played a few rounds of the special battle, and commented on his boyfriend’s gaming skills every time his team won. Mingyu only paused his gaming when he heard EXO’s Mama come on for norebang. Along with him, Jeonghan, Minghao, and Seungcheol all rushed over to join Jisoo and Seungkwan’s match. Seungkwan paused the song and the six boys chose an EXO member to sing. Once the song started over, the six of them all began to chant and dance perfectly with each other.

 

“This isn’t even a Christmas song,” Junhui complained, walking over to Wonwoo.

 

“Yes, but look at how well they are doing!” Wonwoo laughed.

 

“Our friends are huge nerds. How is it that six out of the nine of us know the dance as well as the song?” Seokmin inquired, joining the other two outcasts.

 

The two shrugged, and the three boys watched their friends put on a performance.Once the song ended, the six boys were exhausted and collapsed on the floor.

 

“I’m calling it a night!” Seungkwan yelled from the floor.

 

“I’m so tired, I can’t even move,” Jeonghan whined.

 

“Well, if you’re all going to sleep here then we better get this area prepped for sleeping,” Mingyu suggested.

 

“With what, your four pillows?” Wonwoo snorted.

 

“Hey,” Mingyu pointed a finger at his boyfriend, “don’t hate on my lack of pillows.”

 

“Honestly Mingyu, I’m fine just like this,” Jeonghan said from his place on the floor, nuzzling his face into Minghao’s side.

 

“Yeah, just like throw us a blanket or something and we should be great,” Seungcheol added, rolling over next to Seungkwan. Mingyu nodded and grabbed a couple blankets for his friends choosing to sleep on the floor. Jisoo thanked Mingyu one more time for his hospitality, then bid his new friends farewell for the night, choosing to go sleep in his own bed. This left Seokmin and Junhui on the couch, and Wonwoo and Mingyu took to the bedroom.

 

Wonwoo was still wearing his new sweater as he snuggled underneath the sheets and up against Mingyu. “Thank you again for this beautiful gift.”

 

Mingyu turned to face his boyfriend and gave him a kiss, “You’re entirely welcome. It looks good on you.”

 

Wonwoo blushed, “You’re too much.”

 

Mingyu flashed him a sleepy smile, “We can continue this conversation in the morning. It’s best that we get some sleep before the guys overload us with Christmas activities in the morning.”

 

“Mhhh,” Wonwoo verbally agreed, remembering that it was difficult for Mingyu to catch him nodding from the angle they were at.

 

“Merry Christmas, Wonwoo,” Mingyu barely whispered, leaving a small kiss on his head.

  
“Merry Christmas, Mingyu. I love you,” he responded, but Mingyu had already fallen asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AGAIN, I'M APOLOGIZING BECAUSE DAMN OVER 3 MONTHS IT'S BEEN. I promise I haven't been doing nothing though. I started this chapter like right away, but then I kinda lost motivation to write and started 3 entirely different fics in the meantime, slowly getting my motivation to write more of this fic back. Also I had a rough day at work that matched how I was imagining Wonwoo felt with his coworker, and that really motivated me throughout the beginning. Then I had the problem of over editing the first 5k of this chapter and spent too much time reworking it. But i hope it all worked out for the best in the end! I added in those little kakao chats, because I thought it would help kind of break the chapter up a little bit (and it was fun to do, so i might use the idea again) And I also made the mistletoe chart for fun, just so you can see who kissed who ;) So I hope you guys liked those little bits too! all in all, this chapter had to be happy and fun, because -- in case you forgot -- this fic has angst, and hooooo boy we are almost there! >:)
> 
> so, leave me your comments and come and yell at me on [tumbr](http://www.tayvengeance.tumblr.com) or [twitter.](http://www.twitter.com/tayvengenz)


	11. Shot through the heart and you're to blame.

“Okay, but like, what makes Orochimaru such a great villain?” Seokmin questioned, pointing his chopsticks in Seungcheol’s direction.

 

“Uh, he’s fucking strong. The Akatsuki turned on him because he was so powerful. And he looks like a fucking snake. Name a better villain, I dare you,” Seungcheol argued. The group were all sitting in the flower shop eating take out food as Wonwoo closed down for the night, keeping their friend company throughout the slow business day.

 

“Medusa. She was so fucking good. She gained the trust of the whole DWMA because she was a brilliant liar. She could possess people too, like that’s pretty cool,” Seokmin countered.

 

Seungcheol snorted, “Orochimaru could take different forms too.”

 

“Oh, shut up. It’s obviously Frieza,” Jeonghan quipped. “Motherfucker kept coming back to kick Vegeta’s ass 9000 times stronger.”

 

“You’re all fucking wrong,” Mingyu interjected. “The greatest villain is obviously Akihiko Kayaba. He fucking took 10,000 players and locked them into a virtual reality game where if they died, they died in real life. How is that not _the best_ villain ever?” Mingyu pointed his chopsticks at Seokmin and Seungcheol, then leaned into Wonwoo, “Don’t you agree, babe?”

 

Wonwoo looked up from the inventory sheet he was checking and glanced between Seungcheol, Jeonghan, Seokmin and Mingyu. He set his pencil down and pondered his choices for a moment before replying, “Yagami Light.”

 

Seokmin, Seungcheol, Jeonghan and Mingyu all let out a chorus of ‘ughs,’ while Junhui perked up, “Light was a good villain! He played the side of justice so fucking well that he was able to gain the trust of L, learn his name, and fucking kill him. Wonwoo has my vote.”

 

“I agree with Jun,” Jisoo added, nuzzling his face into the crook of Junhui’s neck.

 

“Of course you agree with Jun. If he told you to fuck a cactus while he watched, you would,”

Jeonghan joked.

 

Jisoo responded by flipping him off.

 

“God, I can’t believe I have to sit here and listen to this shitty argument,” Minghao piped in, rolling his eyes. “The best villain is Robbie Rotten, and if you don’t agree with me you can fucking leave this flower shop.”

 

A chorus of ‘OHs!’ erupted in the shop, as all the boys dropped the argument to agree with the youngest. He smiled contentedly and snuggled into Jeonghan’s side, opening his mouth to ask for food. Jeonghan brought a dumpling to his mouth and pat him on the head. It was their last night on break before school started the next day, and they decided a mellow get together would be a good way to end their time off school. Wonwoo wasn't really one to stop his friends from doing what they wanted, so he just smiled as they came bursting into the flower shop with enough take out to feed a small village.

 

“Okay, guys. I’m gonna close up the shop now. Kindly clean up your mess, unless you want to meet the wrath of my mother tomorrow,” Wonwoo instructed. Everyone nodded and began grabbing empty take out boxes and threw them in the big garbage pail behind the checkout counter.

 

“You’re all invited to come back to my dorm to chill for a bit,” Mingyu suggested as the last of the takeout was cleaned up.

 

“Jeonghan and I have a video to record for class. Well, we have two videos since we missed the one we were supposed to upload last week. So, we have to pass,” Minghao explained.

 

Jeonghan pouted, “Aw, fine. See you all tomorrow.”

 

The two waved, then made their way out of the store.

 

“I promised Seungkwan I’d meet up with him to practice our next piece together, sorry guys.” Seokmin shrugged, gave Mingyu a pat on the back, then pointed at Wonwoo, “Should I expect you home tonight?”

 

Wonwoo shrugged, “Probably not. I’ll be too preoccupied with my boyfriend.”

 

“Ew, bye.” Seokmin waved and walked out of the shop.

 

Mingyu looked over at Seungcheol, “Oh, just go off and find Sooyoung.”

 

“Sorry, this was fun though! See you kids tomorrow at lunch,” he saluted the remaining four and darted out of the flower shop.

 

“Jun and I are down to double date with you,” Jisoo smiled.

 

“Is it still considered a double date if all you’re doing is chilling at someone’s house?” Wonwoo questioned, locking the front doors behind Seungcheol.

 

“Are you declaring it a double date?” Mingyu asked.

 

“I am, now let's go,” Junhui commanded. The other three laughed and made their way out the back entrance, Wonwoo in the back so he could lock the door.

 

They walked to Mingyu’s dorm in silence, Mingyu and Wonwoo taking the lead. When they arrived at the dorm, Mingyu pulled out his keycard and let everyone in. They got into the elevator and Jisoo spoke up, “So, we gonna watch a movie and just chill?”

 

“As long as you’re all going to sit through whatever movie we watch without being annoying,” Mingyu chided. “I’m not reliving our last movie date with Jeonghan and Minghao.”

 

“Oh my god, it must have been bad,” Junhui observed.

 

“Oh, I just bought _Train to Busan_! Have you all seen it yet?” Wonwoo suggested.

 

Jisoo shook his head, “I was too swamped with the recital to go out and see it. I heard it was fantastic though.”

 

“OH MY GOD, it was so fucking good. That’s what we’re going to watch,” Mingyu decided. He left the living area to go find it in his room.

 

“Do you need to go get it, Wonwoo?” Junhui questioned, taking a seat on the couch. Jisoo followed him and cuddled up close to his boyfriend.

 

Wonwoo shook his head. “I left it here, because Mingyu has the TV. He knows where it is.”

 

Mingyu came back with his arms full of pillows and his duvet, _Train to Busan_ sitting firmly between his teeth. Wonwoo smiled at his boyfriend and walked over to help him. He took the DVD out of his mouth and replaced it with a quick kiss as he took the pillows from Mingyu’s arms.

 

“They are so fucking domestic, it’s almost disgusting,” Junhui mumbled into Jisoo’s ear. The older boy chuckled and nodded his head in agreement.

 

Wonwoo threw his pillows on the ground in front of the couch and looked at Junhui, “Almost. That means you find it a little endearing.”

 

“We’re the most fucking endearing couple in this damn group of friends,” Mingyu challenged. Junhui and Jisoo burst into laughter, and Wonwoo tried to hide his laughter behind his hand.

 

“I don’t know, Junhui and I are pretty damn adorable. What do you think, Wonwoo?” Jisoo refuted.

 

“I can’t not side with my boyfriend! I love my man,” Wonwoo defended.

 

A smug smile grew on Mingyu’s face. He put the DVD in his Playstation 4, and walked over to Wonwoo’s pillow pile. “Wonwoo is literally the greatest.” He pulled the older boy down and onto the pile of pillows and blankets.

 

“Ugh, just play the movie already,” Junhui complained. The others laughed, and Mingyu waved him off.

 

“Yah, hold on.” Mingyu turned the PS4 controller on and navigated over to the DVD.

 

✿ ✿ ✿

 

“I swear to god, Jeonghan. If you don’t stop fucking with my video editing, I’m going to stab you with my chopsticks,” Minghao threatened. The boys were all sitting at their usual table sans-Seungcheol -- since Sooyoung asked him to walk her to class earlier that morning -- and Minghao was arguing with Jeonghan as per usual. It seemed like the holiday didn’t really happen, but the evidence of it was clear with the additions of Seungkwan and Jisoo to the group table. Everyone fell back into their usual routines as if they never stopped.

 

“But when you edit, you don’t give me enough attention!” Jeonghan pouted.

 

“Oh my god, you’re older than me! Why are you acting this way?” Minghao sighed, an exasperated look on his face.

 

“I crave love and affection from the people closest to me,” Jeonghan shrugged, wrapping his arms around the younger boy and nuzzling into his side.

 

“So, what did you boys end up doing last night?” Seokmin asked, looking at Wonwoo and Mingyu.

 

Mingyu shrugged, “Watched _Train to Busan_ and passed out in my living room. It was a chill night.

 

“Fuck, _Train to Busan_ is so good though,” Jeonghan commented, momentarily detaching himself from Minghao to join the conversation.

 

“I enjoyed it! Gong Yoo is damn fine,” Jisoo added.

 

Junhui rolled his eyes, “How am I to live up to these expectations? We’re watching Goblin together, and he keeps comparing me to Gong Yoo. ‘Oh, Junnie, why can’t you do that? See that Junnie, Kim Shin knows how to charm. Let’s throw a costume party, Junnie. You be Kim Shin, and I’ll be Eun Tuk.’ How do I deal with this?”

 

This time it was Jisoo rolling his eyes, “Oh, don’t act like you don’t love it.”

 

“Ughhh, you guys are even more disgusting than me and Minghao,” Jeonghan whined.

 

Jisoo and Junhui just laughed. Mingyu pouted, “I don’t like competing for the spot of ‘more disgusting than Jeonghan and Minghao.’”

 

Wonwoo’s phone alarm went off, “Well, it’s time for class anyway, so there’s no need to worry about out-coupling each other right now.”

 

“That’s Wonwoo’s way of saying the two of you have been out-done by Junshua,” Jeonghan stated matter-of-factly.

 

Wonwoo rolled his eyes, “Junshua? Seriously?”

 

Mingyu turned to face Jeonghan, “Oh! What’s me and Wonwoo’s couple name?”

 

“Wongyu,” Jeonghan shrugged.

 

Wonwoo scrunched up his nose, “Why are you like this?”

 

Jeonghan smiled and brought his hands to cup his own face, “Your lives would be 100% less interesting without me in them.”

 

“Whatever. I gotta get to class. See you all tomorrow!” Wonwoo waved to his friends.

 

Mingyu got up and started walking with him, “You work tonight?” Wonwoo nodded. “Well, when you’re off you should come over.”

 

Wonwoo chuckled, “I’m worrying Seokmin with the amount of nights I spend not in our dorm. He taped a paper to my door the other day, and it was a list of ‘ways to make sure you and your partner are having safe sex.’”

 

Mingyu burst out into laughter, “Are you fucking serious?”

 

“Deadass. He also took me to the health services yesterday and made me schedule an appointment on Friday to make sure I don’t have HIV/AIDS,” Wonwoo chuckled. “He does it because he cares.”

 

Mingyu wrapped his arm around Wonwoo’s waist, pulling him into his side as they walked, “I’m glad Seokmin cares. I’ll go with you, if it makes him feel better. I haven’t been tested in a while, so it wouldn’t hurt. My mom made me get tested when I came out to her back in high school. I understand where she was coming from, but it didn’t really send a great message when an hour after telling her ‘I’m gay,’ she came up to me and said ‘I want you to get tested for AIDS; you have an appointment tomorrow at noon.’ It felt like she thought every gay man has AIDS. I don’t know.”

 

Wonwoo stopped to look at Mingyu, “You don’t really talk much about your family or Busan. Did they push you out because of your sexuality?”

 

Mingyu shook his head, “No, after they let it sink it they were pretty chill about it. I just… something happened back home that I needed to get away from.”

 

Wonwoo nodded, “If it still hurts to think about, you don’t have to tell me.”

 

Mingyu smiled. He leaned in to give Wonwoo a quick kiss before he let go, “Thank you. I’ll tell you tonight. I think I’m ready to talk about it. But you, my dear, have a class to attend.”

 

Wonwoo smiled, “You are correct. This is my classroom and the lecture is about to start. Love you.”

 

Mingyu shot him a wink, “Love you more.”

 

Wonwoo rolled his eyes and walked into the classroom.

 

✿ ✿ ✿

 

Wonwoo sat at the checkout counter. It was another slow night at the flower shop, and he hadn’t had a customer in close to an hour. His pre-closing procedures had already been finished, and he was considering closing up an hour early, when a boy walked in. He was short with a soft face and brilliant pink hair. Wonwoo couldn’t quite place his age by looking at him, but he figured he was a college student. The boy gave him a smile and walked up to the counter.

 

“Hello, welcome to Flower Boy Next Door,” Wonwoo greeted with a smile. “How can I help you today?”

 

The boy chuckled, “Clever name. Ah, but I’m here to get a bouquet.”

 

Wonwoo chuckled, “Good, because if you came for any other reason, I don’t think I would be much help.”

 

The boy laughed. It was a bubbly laugh that caused Wonwoo to smile. “I mean, you asked.”

 

Wonwoo shrugged, “You got me there. I kinda did set myself up for that. So, who are the flowers for?” Wonwoo asked, always curious about why people buy flowers.

 

The boy smiled, “For someone I haven’t seen in a long time.”

 

Wonwoo smiled with a nod, “I’ll make sure it’s the best reunion bouquet you’ve ever seen.”

 

The boy chuckled, “You're really into flowers, huh?”

 

Wonwoo bustled around, grabbing flowers as he walked past displays, “Yeah. It's kind of my thing.”

 

“Interesting. I've never been good with plants. Hopefully these flowers don't die before I see my friend in the morning.”

 

“Just keep them in a vase of water!” Wonwoo instructed, wrapping the bouquet in tissue paper.

 

The boy smiled, “Will do! How much will that be?”

 

“30,000 won,” Wonwoo answered, ringing in the bouquet.

 

The boy smiled and handed Wonwoo exact change. Wonwoo took the money and handed him the bouquet. “Thank you! You’ve been extremely helpful. I’m sure my friend will really enjoy this bouquet,” the boy took the flowers and bowed in thanks before turning to leave the store.

 

“I hope your friend likes them! Come again!” Wonwoo called after. He looked at the clock on his register, and let a curse escape his lips. “Fuck, I need to close.”

 

He got up and locked the front doors, then checked on the flower displays. He knew if he didn’t have a perfect checkout, Junfeng would whine about it tomorrow, so he made sure everything was perfect before heading out of the shop and over to Mingyu’s dorm.

 

 

**To: Gyu~♥**

**Message:**

**Hey, I left my key to your dorm in my dorm. Let me in.**

 

**To: ♥Woonie♥**

**Message:**

**I s2g Wonwoo. Holup, lemme put pants on.**

 

**To: Gyu~♥**

**Message:**

**Ooh, that’s hot. Come down in your Spider-Man boxers.**

 

**To: ♥Woonie♥**

**Message:**

**You’d like that, wouldn’t you**

 

**To: Gyu~♥**

**Message:**

**I like that you’re not denying the fact that you are wearing your Spider-Man boxers.**

 

**To: ♥Woonie♥**

**Message:**

**Babe, if I tried to lie about that you’d catch me so fast**

 

 

Wonwoo chuckled, then looked up at his boyfriend when the door opened, “You need different underwear, babe.”

Mingyu waved him off, pulling him into the elevator, “You still have sex with me. It’s not like you see my Spider-Man underwear and leave the bedroom.”

“I should start,” Wonwoo laughed.

“Oh hush, Mr. Ryan pyjama set,” Mingyu retorted, sticking his tongue out at the older boy. The both got out when the elevator got to Mingyu’s floor. They walked up to Mingyu’s door, and saw Junhui and Jisoo having a serious conversation in front of the room next to Mingyu’s. Mingyu gave Wonwoo a curious glance before the two walked into the dorm room. Mingyu was the one to break the silence, “So, you want some tea while I tell you my sob story?”

Wonwoo laughed, “Sure.”

Mingyu shot Wonwoo a soft smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, “Have I ever told you about my first boyfriend?”

Wonwoo shook his head, “Not that I know of. What was he like?”

Mingyu sighed and brought cups of hot green tea to the couch where Wonwoo was seated. “He was really headstrong. Some people thought he was always grumpy, but in reality he was just lost in his thoughts. He was a musical prodigy. Could compose a song with a second’s notice. Never liked to waste time, so he always overworked himself.” Wonwoo nodded, letting Mingyu know he was following along. “He was so kind and caring, but I was never priority to him. I always came after work. And while I understand that school and work are important, it just made me feel unimportant. Do you know what it's like to be secondary to someone you love?”

Wonwoo caught his gaze, and saw how sad Mingyu’s eyes were. He shook his head, and brought his hand up to cup Mingyu’s cheek. “That sounds horrible.”

“It was,” Mingyu sighed, breaking eye contact and casting his gaze to the mugs of tea sitting on the coffee table. “He broke up with me, saying I was a distraction and that he needed to focus on school. I was as close to in love with him as any inexperienced 18 year-old can be. Broke my heart. I fell into a spell of depression, and decided the only way to get better was to leave.”

Wonwoo nodded, “Well, what was his name?”

“Lee Jihoon.”

“Do you ever think about him?” Wonwoo was curious.

“Sometimes,” Mingyu admitted. “A lot of my firsts happened with him, so sometimes I end up thinking about them.”

“I understand,” Wonwoo nodded.

“But you,” Mingyu looked up and caught Wonwoo’s gaze. “You are so much more. With you, I don't feel like I'm in a one-sided relationship. I know that you support me, and I know that you'll put me first sometimes. This relationship is everything I ever wanted back then.”

Wonwoo smiled and picked up his tea, taking a small sip before resting it in his lap. He leaned in to give Mingyu a kiss on the cheek, “I do it all because I love you, you big dork.”

Mingyu’s smile threatened to pull his face apart, it was so big. “And I love my beautiful flower boy, Wonwoo.” Wonwoo set his mug down and Mingyu completely disregarded his, as Mingyu pulled Wonwoo off the couch and into his bedroom. “It's late, you need rest,” Mingyu observed.

“I'll sleep after we have a little time to ourselves,” Wonwoo winked.

Mingyu pulled him down onto his bed, “Good, I wasn't going to let you sleep anyways.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, my boyfriend! He puts his horny-ass before my health,” Wonwoo laughed.

Mingyu buried his face into Wonwoo’s neck, nipping at it a few times, “Mmhh, but you like it.”

Wonwoo adjusts himself so he's straddling Mingyu. He lets his hands rest on either side of Mingyu’s head, and leans in, “You got me there.” He gave his boyfriend a quick smile before he closed the distance between their lips.

 

✿ ✿ ✿

 

Wonwoo was the first to wake up. After he untangled himself from Mingyu and the sheets, he looked at his phone to see the clock read 9:30. They had slept a little later than usual, exhausted from the night’s activities. Wonwoo looked around the room for his underwear, but didn't find them right away. He shrugged and walked over to Mingyu’s dresser and pulled open the underwear drawer, sighing when he was met only with novelty underwear. He grabbed the pair on top without analysing it -- he was fairly certain they were Batman and Robin -- and was about to head into the bathroom when a loud knock came from the door. He looked over to see if Mingyu heard. He heard the younger boy groan. “Yah, babe, get it,” he grumbled, voice thick with sleep still.

 

Wonwoo rolled his eyes and walked out into the living area and over to the door. He didn't look through the peep-hole before opening the door, and once it's open, he kinda wishes he had.

 

“Uh, I was told a Kim Mingyu lives here?”

 

Wonwoo immediately notices two things. The first is that this is the boy he helped last night before he closed, and the second was that he was holding the bouquet he had purchased.

 

Wonwoo noticed the boy glance at his underwear, and he could feel himself blushing as he looked down to see the pair he had put on were not Batman and Robin, but Buddy The Elf. He blushed even harder when he realised he had the epitome of sex hair. “Ah,” was all he could muster in his shock.

 

“If I got the wrong dorm, could you direct me to the correct one? I need to see Kim Mingyu.”

 

“Yah, babe, who is it?” Mingyu called as he walked out of his bedroom and over to Wonwoo. He couldn't see the guest over Wonwoo, so he went to get a closer look. He walked up behind his boyfriend and snaked his arms around his waist, then looked around Wonwoo to see who was at his door. He froze, tightening his hold on Wonwoo.

 

“Mingyu,” the boy breathed when their eyes met. He looked like he could cry.

 

Wonwoo looked from the boy to his boyfriend, waiting for Mingyu to tell him who the fuck this guy was. Mingyu sounded a little choked up when he responded, “Jihoon?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, lemme apologize for taking way too fucking long to update, and for not making the update a long one. It's my last semester of college, and it's been WILD, lemme tell you. But you know, that just means after graduation I have absolutely 0 reasons to not update frequently. 
> 
> Here it is. We've reached it. The turning point you've all been dreading. I know you're all gonna start guessing what this means. It means hold onto your butts, kids. We're riding on the angst train now and it's an unpredictable ride. 
> 
> Yell at me here, or you can also come yell at me on [tumblr](www.tayvengeance.tumblr.com) or [ twitter.](www.twitter.com/tayvengenz)


	12. You give love a bad name

The three boys stood in awkward silence for a solid minute. Wonwoo let out an uncomfortable cough, and Jihoon looked between the two boys, "Oh, you're..."

 

"Dating? Yeah," Wonwoo finished for him, his voice sounding harsher than he meant it to.

 

"Ah. I'm sorry for showing up unannounced. I just..." Jihoon paused, trying to stay composed. "I had to apologise. Mingyu, can we talk?"

 

Mingyu unwrapped his arms from around Wonwoo. He looked at the older boy, as if for his approval. Wonwoo just nodded and walked back over to the couch. He heard the door close, and felt his heart whither. _This is it._ He thought. _This is how I lose him._

 

 

**To: Chinese prince**

**Message: H**

**E**

**L**

**P**

 

**To: WonWOW**

**Message: woah, you ok?**

 

**To: Chinese prince**

**Message: no? Idk?**

**Jihoon is here**

 

**To: WonWOW**

**Message: Lee Jihoon? Mingyu's old friend?**

 

**To: Chinese prince**

**Message: *ex boyfriend**

 

**To: WonWOW**

**Message: wait, what the fuck?**

 

**To: Chinese prince**

**Message: He didn't tell you either?**

**I just found out**

**Like**

**Last night**

 

**To: WonWOW**

**Message: before or after you two fucked**

 

**To: Chinese prince**

**Message: (** ￣ **^** ￣ **)**

**How is that hardly relevant**

 

**To: WonWOW**

**Message: I need to know so I can kick his ass**

 

**To: Chinese prince**

**Message: Before**

 

**To: WonWOW**

**Message: was he dumped or did he do the dumping**

 

**To: Chinese prince**

**Message: he was dumped**

 

**To: WonWOW**

**Message: THEN WHY THE FUCC IS JIHOON THERE**

 

**To: Chinese prince**

**Message: I DONT FUCKING KNOW**

 

**To: WonWOW**

**Message: come to my apartment. I'm literally next door.**

 

 

So Wonwoo got up and walked out, noticing Jihoon and Mingyu had moved their discussion elsewhere. He looked around but couldn't see them. He walked over to the room he knew was Junhui's and knocked on the door. It didn't take long for Junhui to open it and let him in, almost like he was waiting for him to knock. He looked Wonwoo over and snorted into a laugh. Wonwoo rolled his eyes, remembering that he was wearing Buddy the Elf boxers.

 

"That's hot," Junhui said through tears of laughter.

 

"Oh shut up."

 

"Okay, but seriously, tell me what's going on."

 

Wonwoo followed Junhui to the couch and sat down next to him. He let out a sigh before he began recapping their conversation from the previous night. Junhui listened intently the whole time. "Why did he _just_ tell you this? Weren't we all under the assumption that you two were each other's first boyfriends?"

 

"That's how he made it seem when we met. Never once mentioned being even remotely into anyone before me." Wonwoo sighed. "I mean, it's not a requirement in a relationship to talk about past flings or whatever, but it would have been nice to know all this about him when we officially started dating. He’s gonna leave me, Jun."

 

"He's not gonna leave you," Junhui consoled.

 

"You didn't see his ex. He was beautiful, and I know he's fucking smart, and talented, and so much better than me. This guy is so much better for Mingyu. I'm just a dumb kid with a flower shop."

 

Junhui punched Wonwoo's arm, "Shut up. Mingyu is lucky to have you. If he left you for his ex, he'd be the dumbest guy on earth."

 

Wonwoo rubbed his arm, surprised at the force behind the action. "You gotta say that shit since you're my friend."

 

"I don't have to say anything but the truth to you, Wonwoo." He sighed and turned to face Wonwoo, taking his hands into his own, "Look, I've known Mingyu for a while now, and I know how in love with you he is. There is no fucking way he'd let you go for someone who threw him away like he didn’t matter."

 

The two sat in silence for a moment. Wonwoo could hear Junhui's roommate rustling about in the bathroom. They heard the door open and he started talking as he exited, "Hey Jun, you still crying o-" he stopped when he saw Wonwoo on the couch. "Nevermind. Hey, I'm going to the practice room, so don't wait up for me today," he notified Jun as he walked out of the apartment.

 

Junhui's face betrayed a look of panic, "Don't listen to Soonyoung. Won-"

 

"Crying? Jun, why were you crying?" Wonwoo interrupted. "I've been sitting here whining about a hypothetical situation and you have been crying?"

 

Junhui turned away from his friend, "It's nothing, really."

 

"Bullshit. You're Wen Junhui, you don't just cry."

 

"Jisoo broke up with me."

 

The room went silent. Wonwoo didn't know how to comfort his friend, so he just pulled him into his side, "Hey, talk to me, man. What happened?"

 

"He said I was too distracted. That I didn't focus enough attention on him. He said, 'Jun I really like you, but if you can't _be_ with me without distractions, then I can't do this.' And I didn't know what to say or do, so I just let him go."

 

Wonwoo held Jun tightly, "Hey, it's okay. What did he mean by distractions?"

 

Junhui shook his head, "He thinks I'm in love with someone else."

 

Wonwoo's brows furrowed, "That's ridiculous." Junhui didn't agree or disagree with Wonwoo's outburst. "Unless, he's right?"

 

"Won-" Junhui was cut off by a knock on his door. He wriggled out of Wonwoo's grip and opened it up to reveal Mingyu. He stood awkwardly in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest.

 

"Hey, you weren't in my dorm and all your clothes were still there, so I figured you'd be here. I gotta talk to you about Jihoon."

 

Wonwoo looked over at Junhui, "We'll finish this talk later."

 

Junhui nodded and watched his friends exit his dorm.

 

Mingyu pulled Wonwoo back into his dorm and closed the door behind him, leaning his back against it. He grabbed Wonwoo's hands and squeezed them, "Hey, you okay?"

 

"I don't know," Wonwoo sighed.

 

Mingyu pulled him into his chest, "Jihoon apologised for being such a dick. He says he wants to be friends."

 

"And? Are you?" Wonwoo looked up at Mingyu.

 

Mingyu sighed, "Look, don't get upset, okay?"

 

Wonwoo pulled away from him, hurt evident in his eyes, "Mingyu, you did _not_ agree to be friends with your ex."

 

"Wonwoo, don't-"

 

"Stop, okay, just... you kept this relationship from me. Now, after _just_ telling me about him, you decide to be _friendly with him again?_ " Wonwoo folded his arms across his chest.

 

"Babe, please," Mingyu tried to interject.

 

Wonwoo wouldn't stop to let him talk though. "I know you can't possibly understand how I feel right now, since I don't have an ex to get friendly with, but can you try to think about it from _my_ perspective? I feel kind of betrayed here."

 

Mingyu paused a moment before he answered, "Wonwoo, I'm sorry. I didn't think about how it would make you feel. But, I'm sure if you-"

 

"God, please don't say if I get to know him I'll like him. That's not the point, Mingyu. Look, imagine that before you and I met, I was in a serious relationship with Jun. We broke up before you met me, but I never told you about him. Then, two months into our relationship, I tell you about my ex you never knew I had and then Jun shows up at my dorm the next day. What if I then told you I wanted to be friendly with the guy I used to fuck?"

 

Mingyu was quiet for a moment before he answered, "I'd feel like shit. I'd be jealous, and I'd be overprotective. I'd react the same way you are right now. I understand, Wonwoo." Mingyu grabbed the other boy's hands again, "Hey, I love you, okay? I love you so much, Wonwoo. All the flowers in the world wouldn't be enough to show you how much I love you."

 

Wonwoo let go of Mingyu and wrapped his arms around his waist, "I love you too." Mingyu tilted his head down to meet Wonwoo's and took his lips into a kiss.

 

✿ ✿ ✿

 

"I don't know. Should I be worried, Seokmin? Do you think I'm overreacting?" Wonwoo asked later that day. After he came home from Mingyu's, he told Seokmin everything that happened. He wanted the other boy's opinion on the topic, and knew he'd give him a straight answer.

 

"Honestly, I think you're right to be upset. I would be. You said you talked to the guy?"

 

"Yeah, he bought a bouquet the other night. And then he gave it to Mingyu. But the whole time he was in the shop, he looked nervous. Like he had something important to tell the person he was buying the flowers for. I bet you anything he asked Mingyu to get back with him, and when he said no he asked to be friends."

 

"Ask Mingyu to bring this guy to lunch. I want to see what he's like for myself," Seokmin suggested.

 

Wonwoo sighed, "Fine. I'm gonna make Jun join us too. I told him everything earlier. Also, a quick side note, Jisoo dumped him."

 

Seokmin blinked in confusion, "Uh, what? Why the fuck would he do that?"

 

Wonwoo sighed, "He was concerned Jun is in love with someone else."

 

Seokmin's mouth formed a small 'o' and he nodded his head. "I can see why Jisoo would think that."

 

Wonwoo furrowed his brows, "What? How?"

 

Seokmin shrugged, "You don't see the way he looks at you."

 

At this news, Wonwoo felt his eyes would bulge out of his head, " _Me? You think Jun is in love with me?_ "

 

Seokmin chuckled, "Why are you so surprised?

 

"He's Mingyu's best friend."

 

"So?"

 

Wonwoo covered his face with his hands, "Why is everything going to shit right now? Jun is in a fit of unrequited love, Mingyu's ex wants him back, the only time me and Mingyu have had sex the past few days was after an argument..."

 

"Yah, I don't need to hear about your sex life," Seokmin reprimanded.

 

"Seokmin, I need help,” Wonwoo whined.

 

“Clearly.”

 

Wonwoo stuck his tongue out at his friend, “You could be a little more helpful, here.”

 

“Sorry, man! I legitimately don't know what to tell you,” Seokmin placed a hand on Wonwoo’s shoulder as a sympathetic gesture. “You can't exactly control who Mingyu is and isn't friends with.”

 

Wonwoo sighed, “I know, that's the problem here.”

 

“Well, have you given him a chance to tell you why he agreed to being friends?”

 

Wonwoo’s gaze dropped to his shoes, and he shook his head, “No, I was upset and didn't really let him talk much.”

 

“Well, start there. Let him explain his side. Maybe he has a good reason? I don't know. I just know I don't like seeing you like this. It's sad.” Wonwoo nodded. He pulled on his parka and made his way to the door. “Wait, where are you going?”

 

“To get flowers for my boyfriend,” Wonwoo replied with a wink. He shut the door behind him and made his way out of the dorm and into the brisk winter air. He took his usual route to the flower shop, which was only about a five minute walk. He arrived quickly, and shivered from the temperature change as he walked inside. He saw his mom pruning some flowers, and walked over to her. “Yah, eomma, I need some bouquets.”

 

She raised an eyebrow at him, “What did Mingyu do that warrants _some_ bouquets?”

 

Wonwoo made a _tsk_ sound, “Only one is for Mingyu. The other is for a friend.”

 

“Ah. Well, grab what you want and then bring it up to me,” she replied, waving her son away. Mingyu darted around the flower shop, creating a bouquet to rival the one he had made for Jihoon the previous night. He made sure to use a red tulip as the focus of the bouquet, and placed a multitude of other flowers that symbolised love, devotion, and passion. Once he had Mingyu’s bouquet, he worked on making Junhui a bouquet as well, hoping it would help cheer his friend up. It was the best way he could say “fighting!” through flowers, and he hoped it would make his friend feel a little less shitty. He brought his bouquets up to his mom who looked at him skeptically, “Who are you cheering on?”

 

“My friend Jun. His boyfriend dumped him, so I wanted to help him out a little bit.”

 

His mom smiled and caressed his cheek, “You’re such a good friend. Take your flowers today.”

 

“Really eomma? You won’t make me pay?”

 

“I might if you stall for too long.”

 

Wonwoo leaned over the counter to give his mom a kiss on the cheek, then nearly bolted out of the store with his flowers. He decided to talk to Mingyu first, and made his way back over to his boyfriend’s dorm.

  


**To: Gyu~♥**

**Message:**

**I need to talk to you. Are you in your dorm still?**

**To: ♥Woonie♥**

**Message:**

**yeahhh. You have your key this time???**

 

**To: Gyu~♥**

**Message:**

**:p yes.**

**To: ♥Woonie♥**

**Message:**

**(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧**

 

**To: Gyu~♥**

**Message:**

**Dork.**

 

**To: ♥Woonie♥**

**Message:**

**Ah, you still love me.**

 

Wonwoo found himself in front of Mingyu’s room faster than he thought he could get there without running. He let himself in and set Junhui’s bouquet on the table next to the door. With his other bouquet, he made his way into Mingyu’s bedroom and found him sitting on the floor. He had a small box open in front of him, and had small pieces of paper littered about him. He looked up when he realized Wonwoo was in the room and gave his boyfriend a smile, “Are those for me?”

 

“No, they’re for Jeonghan. _Of course they’re for you._ ”

 

Mingyu smiled and took the bouquet from Wonwoo, “You put in a red tulip!”

 

Wonwoo smiled, “I’m sorry for getting so upset at you earlier. I should have let you explain your side before blowing up like that. If you still want to tell me your reasons, then go ahead and tell me.”

 

Mingyu looked up at his boyfriend and smiled before he leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead, “Thank you.”

 

“So, why did you agree to be friends with him?”

 

Mingyu sighed and lowered his bouquet, “Because, I have forgiven him for dumping me. I hold no bad thoughts about him.”

 

“But you have fond thoughts of him?” Wonwoo questioned.

 

“Fond memories, yeah.”

 

“So, why should _I_ be okay with this?”

 

“Because they are just memories. I’m not pining over him! I don’t want to get back with him! I just want to be friendly.”

 

“Oh, yeah. Because I want you to be friendly with your ex.”

 

Mingyu rolled his eyes, “Wonwoo, it’s not like that.”

 

“Look, I’m trying to find a way to agree with you, but I literally can’t. I’m just not okay with this.” Wonwoo turned his gaze down to the floor, and he tried to focus on the small papers that Mingyu was looking at. “Those are from him, aren’t they.”

 

“Won-”

 

“Please, Mingyu,” Wonwoo interrupted, looking at Mingyu with an exasperated gaze. “Don’t try to stop me from talking about that. Those papers are from Jihoon, aren’t they.”

 

Mingyu sighed, “Yeah.”

 

Wonwoo nodded, but didn’t say anything. Mingyu started fiddling with the flowers in his hands. Both boys soaked in the silence. Wonwoo spoke first, “I need to go talk to Jun about something. Bring Jihoon to dinner. I’ll see you later.” And with that, he turned on his heel, grabbed Junhui’s bouquet, and shut the door behind him. He leaned up against the door after it shut, and could feel his throat become thick and his eyes threatened to spill his emotions. He took a deep breath and walked over to Junhui’s room, knocking on the door as if he was Anna in Frozen.

 

Junhui opened the door with a confused look on his face, “What are you doing here?”

 

“I said we’d finish our conversation later. It is, in fact, later,” Wonwoo explained, handing Junhui the flowers.

 

Junhui looked down at the assortment and back up at Wonwoo with the same dumb expression, “What are these for?”

 

Wonwoo rolled his eyes, “You.”

 

“But why”

 

“Because you’re sad.”

 

“I’m not _that_ sad.”

 

Wonwoo snorted, “ _Okay_. Just take the flowers and let me in.”

 

It was Junhui’s turn to roll his eyes, but he also opened the door wide enough for Wonwoo to squeeze past and into his room. Junhui set his flowers on his coffee table and resumed his previous position on the couch. Wonwoo sat down next to him. “So, uh, earlier you told me indirectly by not answering my question that you have a thing for someone other than Jisoo.”

 

Junhui sighed, “I might as well cooperate with you. You got me. I wasn’t 100% devoted to Jisoo. Why am I such a shit human? I had the perfect boyfriend, and I couldn’t even keep him because my ass got distracted by another man. I don’t deserve your sympathy, Wonwoo. You should be upset with me too. Hell, _I’m_ upset with me.”

 

Wonwoo pulled Junhui into his side, “Hey, don’t talk like that. You can’t help what the heart wants.”

 

Junhui looked up at Wonwoo, “What does Mingyu’s heart want?”

 

Wonwoo sighed, “Too much all at once.” The two sat in silence for a few minutes before Wonwoo spoke again, “Can you come to dinner with me and Seokmin and Mingyu tonight? Seokmin suggested I tell Mingyu to bring Jihoon to eat with us, so that’s what will be going down. I just kinda want you there too.”

 

Junhui smiled, “Of course I can be there.

 

Wonwoo smiled, “Thank you.”

 

“It's the least I can do for you. You've been so good to me, and you literally have no reason to.”

 

“Jun, you’re my friend. That’s my reason.” They both sat there with small smiles on their faces. “Dinner is at our favourite restaurant.”

 

“That small Chinese place?”

 

Wonwoo nodded, “7pm.”

 

“Wonwoo, it's already 5:30. Why not just stay and hang and we can go together?”

 

Wonwoo pulled his phone out of his pocket to see seven texts and two missed calls from Mingyu. With a sigh, he put it back in his pocket and turned to smile at Junhui, “That sounds fantastic. Can you make me more tea, please?”

 

✿ ✿ ✿

 

“Wonwoo,” Mingyu called out when he saw his boyfriend… and Jun? _Wait why the hell is Jun here?_ The two started walking towards the table Mingyu and Jihoon were sat at, when the door opened again to reveal Seokmin. “Did you just invite everyone tonight?” Mingyu questioned as Wonwoo and Jun sat down at the table.

 

“No, just Seokmin and Jun. They're the only two I've told everything to.”

 

“Since when have you and Jun been such good pals?” Mingyu interrogated.

 

“Woah, what's your damage Mingyu?” Jun responded before Wonwoo could.

 

“It just feels kind of shitty that he's been talking to my best friend about me without my knowledge.”

 

“Yeah, well it feels kinda shitty that you never told me about Jihoon over here,” Wonwoo spat back. Jihoon threw Mingyu a knowing look, but Mingyu ignored him.

 

“Well, we’re all here Wonwoo. What's supposed to happen now?” Mingyu hissed.

 

“I wanted Jihoon to tell us all what's going on. He's impartial to us, and he has no reason to lie,” Wonwoo proclaimed. Jihoon’s eyes widened, as if he hadn't been expecting Wonwoo to want to hear his side of things.

 

“You want _me_ to talk?” Jihoon asked, shock evident on his face.”

 

“Oh just tell us,” Junhui cut in. “Why are you here?”

 

Jihoon looked at the three boys across from him, then back at Mingyu, “Because Mingyu got accepted to one of the best dance programs, but it's in Busan and he's being stupid about it. So I came out here to try and convince him to come back to Busan because this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and he's gonna throw it away because we dated once and he still has some negative feelings bottled up inside him.”

 

“Woah, wait. How come _you_ know about this dance program, and we don't?” Seokmin asked.

 

Jihoon quickly turned to Mingyu with a glare, “You _still_ haven't told them?”

 

“Because,” Mingyu replied with a shaky voice. “I told Jihoon about it the moment I found out.”

 

“Wait, how long ago was this?” Wonwoo asked, perplexed at the distrust.

 

“He texted me about a month ago,” Jihoon admitted.

 

Wonwoo’s expression dropped, and he glared at Mingyu. The negative energy flowing from him made it seem as if he would burst into flames at any moment. “A _month?”_

 

“ _I told you to tell your damn boyfriend,_ ” Jihoon snapped.

 

The conversation was put on hold as the waitress came up to take their order. Everyone calmly and politely told her what they wanted, and she walked away with a smile. Mingyu’s face immediately went from a smile to a grimace. “Wonwoo, I knew you’d be upset about this.”

 

“Upset doesn’t begin to explain how I feel right now, Mingyu. You betrayed my trust, you used me, you lied…” Wonwoo trailed off on the verge of tears. He could feel the back of his throat tighten and his eyes start to water. “He didn’t want to get you back? That was a lie?”

 

“Like I said. I came here to apologize and make sure he accepted the offer,” Jihoon explained again.

 

Wonwoo stood up and motioned for Mingyu to follow him, “Mingyu, can we talk outside for a moment?”

 

Mingyu chewed on his bottom lip as he nodded and followed Wonwoo outside.

 

Wonwoo turned around and stared at Mingyu in disbelief. He waited a moment for his boyfriend to laugh and say “gotcha,” but the look on Mingyu’s face told him he was serious. “Don’t fuck with me, Mingyu.”

 

“I’m not!” Mingyu waved his hands in front of his chest, “Babe, I swear I’m not fucking with you. I’ve been arguing with Jihoon this past month about transferring to Busan next semester. This program is _really_ good. You know I wouldn’t leave if I didn’t think it was necessary. Wonwoo, please, just understand-“

 

“Understand what, Mingyu? That I’m losing you? That everything we have worked for these past few months together has been all for nothing? That you’re just going to leave at the drop of a hat?” Wonwoo could feel the tears building up, and it was getting more and more difficult to breathe with each word he spoke. “Mingyu, I am in fucking **love** with you. _I fucking slept with you._ I opened up my fucking world to you, and you’re just going to leave?” He was crying by now, but he didn’t care. He wanted Mingyu to see how hurt he was. He wanted his boyfriend to understand how betrayed he felt.

 

“Wonwoo, it’s not that simple. I’m not just packing up and leaving you. I’m going to a school with a program better suited for me. You think this was an easy decision to make? There is a reason I didn’t tell you! I’m scared of losing you, Wonwoo. You think I’m not just as in love with you? _You_ _are my fucking_ ** _world_**. This fucking hurts me too.” Mingyu was crying too, but he wasn’t upset in the same way Wonwoo was.

 

Wonwoo was only growing angrier by the moment, “I had every right to know! More so than Jihoon! Part of being in a relationship is talking to each other about big life decisions. This isn’t something you can just toss at me and expect me to be fine about. Why the fuck do you trust Jihoon more than me?”

 

“Wonwoo, this has nothing to do with me trusting Jihoon more,” Mingyu defended, his voice taking a sharp tone. “I was _going_ to tell you.”

 

“WHEN? WHEN WERE YOU GOING TO TELL ME?” Wonwoo yelled. He couldn’t stop the tears from streaming down his face, and he felt his fingernails digging into his palms from squeezing his fists so hard. “ Was it going to be the day you left? I’d wake up with you one day and then you’d be gone the next day? Did you just assume I’d be okay with the fact that you’ve planned this all out with your ex? Bullshit. You still have feelings for him, admit it. Save me the bullshit and just admit it. You didn’t want to face me because you still have feelings for Jihoon and didn’t want to talk to me about it.”

 

Mingyu broke eye contact with Wonwoo, bringing his hands up over his eyes and letting a slightly manic laugh escape his lips, “Of course I have some feelings for him. He was my first everything. I can’t just forget all that happened between us.” He brought his hands down on both of Wonwoo’s shoulders, and made eye contact again, “But even so, I’m not _in love_ with him. I _love you_. You and only you.”

 

“Then stay.”

 

Those two words rang in the silence that followed for what seemed like an eternity. There had only been one other moment in Wonwoo’s life where he had felt this nervous waiting for a response. He was ten when his mother received a call from the hospital letting her know the condition his grandfather was in. He had been fighting cancer the past few years, and suddenly relapsed. He was rushed to the hospital after collapsing during a family dinner, and Wonwoo spent the entire car ride over crying. His grandfather was his best friend, the person he was closest to, and he was terrified of losing him. So after being in the hospital for three days, his mother finally received a phone call on his status. After hanging up the phone, she turned to Wonwoo and held his gaze for what seemed like an eternity. He could see the pain in his mother’s eyes, so he could only guess what the doctors had told her, but there was still a twinge of hope in his gut telling him that his grandfather was okay. When she finally spoke up and told him the news he dreaded hearing, he shut down. It felt like his legs went numb, and there was a slight ringing in his ears. It was the first time he had encountered loss at this scale, and it shook him up.

 

He had the same feeling as he searched Mingyu’s eyes for a sign of defeat, hoping he would be able to convince his boyfriend to stay in Seoul _with him_. So when Mingyu closed his eyes and leaned into Wonwoo’s shoulder, he stood there and begged to God that he would tell him the answer he wanted to hear. The highly awaited ‘Okay, Wonwoo. Screw Busan and screw Jihoon,’ never came out of his mouth. He simply sighed and whispered, “I can’t.”

 

Wonwoo was still crying, but he let out a laugh, “Why did I even think you’d pick me?”

 

“Hey, Wonwoo, Just because I’m leaving doesn’t mean I won’t still love you and want to be with you,” Mingyu defended.

 

Wonwoo shook his head, “I need you here by my side. If you can’t be _with_ me, then there can’t be an _us._ ”

 

“Wonwoo, I never intended to hurt you. Please understand. I just… I want you _and_ the dance program.”

 

“But you can’t have both, so you have to chose the best option for yourself. I understand. I really do. It’s just the lying and the cheating that got you there I’m not a fan of.”

 

Mingyu nodded, “Uh, we should head back in. Our food is here.”

 

Wonwoo went back inside wordlessly, and sat back down between Junhui and Seokmin. They all ate their meals in silence, and avoided making eye contact with each other. Wonwoo wondered if this newfound pain in his chest would linger.

 

✿ ✿ ✿

 

(ㆀ˘･з･˘)

**What went down when Jihoon got to the dorm:**

“Mingyu, how much does he know?”

 

Mingyu shuffled his feet, “Uh, I haven’t told him.”

 

Jihoon furrowed his brow, “Uh, why the fuck haven’t you? He’s your boyfriend. This is pretty important news to tell him.”

 

“I know, I’m just scared of how he’ll react.”

 

“Mingyu, did you even tell him you’ve been texting me?”

 

Mingyu sighed, “Look, I literally _just_ got the balls to tell him about _you_ last night. He knows absolutely nothing regarding you or any of this.”

 

“That is so typical of you. You hate confrontation, so you put off important conversations until you can’t and then they blow up on you. He’s going to be really upset, Mingyu. If you had told him when you told me, he would have had all this time to prepare, but you didn’t. And that’s going to backfire on you so badly. What will you tell him when you go back to your room? You’re still not gonna fucking tell him, huh?”

 

“Jihoon, I can’t. It’s going to break his heart. I can’t do that to him.”

 

“Mingyu! What do you think will happen if he just wakes up one day and you’re back in Busan and all he has is a letter explaining why you’re not there? It’s not fair to him. Tell him, or I will.”

 

“Fiiiiine. I’ll tell him. Don't worry”

 

“Good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!!!!! Here it is!!!!!! Can you believe it? I've had the last part of this chapter written out for SO long. This story has definitely changed from what I had originally planned, and I'm excited for you all to see it coming to its climax now. We only go down from here, so I don't really expect much more than maybe 5 more chapters? We'll see how this goes.
> 
> Thanks for reading!!!!!!! I really hope you all enjoy this.
> 
> Yell at me here, or you can also come yell at me on [tumblr](www.tayvengeance.tumblr.com) or [ twitter.](www.twitter.com/tayvengenz)


	13. Something Stupid

Wonwoo sprayed the baby’s breath display absentmindedly. Subconsciously he knew he was over-watering the plant, but he was too distracted to care. He kept replaying his fight with Mingyu over in his head.

 

_“I can’t.”_

 

Wonwoo wiped at his cheek, stopping a lone tear in its place. He heard the overhead bell ding, and turned around to greet the customer. Lee Jihoon stood in the entryway with a grumpy look on his face. His expression softened when he made eye contact with Wonwoo. “Oh, hey. So I know I’m like the last person you wanna see right now, but I need to talk with you.” Wonwoo turned back around to continue killing his flowers with water. Jihoon took a few steps into the shop, “Okay, you don’t have to look at me, but please just listen to me. Don’t hate Mingyu, okay? He didn’t want to hurt you.”

 

Wonwoo spun around on his heel, pointing the spray bottle at Jihoon, “Well, he should have thought about that before he lied to me.”

 

“I agree that his execution was shit, but please try to understand-”

 

“Jihoon, please. We both know I won’t.” Wonwoo lowered the bottle with a sigh. “I trusted him. I gave him everything. I gave him _all of me._ If he truly loved me, he would have told me, we could have talked it over. We might have even worked something out, but he didn’t. It was all thrown at me like a fastball. He told _you._ Not me. Do you know how that feels?”

 

“Probably pretty shitty.”

 

The two boys grew silent. Wonwoo set the spray bottle down and sat behind the register. Jihoon remained in the middle of the flower shop. Wonwoo fiddled with a flower petal, eyes focused on his task. “Mingyu is the first guy I’ve ever dated. I never really had relationships before him. I took a few girls on dates that didn’t turn into anything more, and I kissed a guy back in high school. Mingyu is the first person I had sex with. He’s the first person I’ve ever loved. I know you’re the same for him. It’s just… I feel so betrayed, Jihoon. And I hate that I want to forgive him.”

 

Jihoon walked up to the register and reached his hand out, placing it on top of Wonwoo’s, “Can you two at least come to a mutual understanding? It’ll make this easier for the two of you.”

 

Wonwoo looked up at the small boy, “I don’t know.”

 

Jihoon nodded slowly, “Look, he’s fuckin’ depressed right now. Can you please just tie up loose ends?”

 

Wonwoo frowned. _Mingyu was depressed_ ? He scoffed to himself, _He caused this and is claiming depression? Asshole._ “Fine.”

 

Jihoon gave one final nod before turning and heading for the exit. He paused with his hand on the door, “I just want to apologize as well.”

 

“For what?”

 

“For being the first one he told.” And with that, Jihoon exited the flower shop.

 

Wonwoo helped one guest the rest of his shift, giving out a bouquet of sweet peas and pink roses. His distaste for the flowers growing every time he looked at the sweet peas in his hand. Once his shift ended, he made his way back to the dorms. He went at a slower pace than usual, taking the time to think over everything that has happened in the past 24 hours. He didn’t feel like he was being unreasonable. He genuinely hurt. He pulled his parka tight around himself and folded his arms over his chest, basking in the warmth it provided. He slowly approached Mingyu’s dorm, pausing for a good minute as he walked up to it.

  


**To: Gyu~♥**

**Message:** can you let me up?

 

**To: ♥Woonie♥**

**Message:** ya

  


He waited for the elevator, and gave Mingyu a soft smile when the doors opened. The two were silent on the way up, and kept the atmosphere until they reached Mingyu’s room. “So,” Mingyu broke the silence as the door shut behind them. “What do I owe this pleasure?”

 

Wonwoo sighed, “I don’t want us to be mad at each other.”

 

“I’m not mad at you, Wonwoo. I’m mad at the situation.”

 

“Well, whatever. I just don’t want to be upset anymore.”

 

“I don’t want you to be either,” Mingyu reached out to grab Wonwoo’s hands. “I know we can’t go back to how we were. I kinda ruined what we had by lying to you. I understand that, Wonwoo. I just… I don’t want us to have bad blood.”

 

“Mingyu, you hurt me. You betrayed my trust. You told Jihoon before me. Even though I love you so, so much, I can’t bring myself to be with you right now. If you leave… I definitely won’t be able to keep this up. Maybe later in life we can meet once more and our lives can intertwine like vines again, but the way this all worked out… I’m sorry Mingyu.”

 

Mingyu dropped his hands. Wonwoo looked up to see him wiping his cheeks free of tears. “I did this. This is my fault. I was so scared of losing you, I pushed you away. I hid you in the dark without you even knowing what I was doing. I’m so sorry, Wonwoo. I’m so sorry.”

 

Wonwoo leaned forward and placed a small kiss on Mingyu’s forehead, “Go to that school. Show everyone how good of a dancer you are. I really am proud of you. I’m just also extremely sad because of you. Mingyu, I’m gonna need some space from now on. It hurts me to be with you. There is this pain in my chest whenever I think of you, and I don’t think it’s gonna go away anytime soon.”

 

Mingyu nodded, “I understand. I don’t deserve you anyways. I ruined everything, and I’m sorry.”

 

Wonwoo chewed on the inside of his cheek, trying to fight back the tears that were brimming at his eyes. “Bye then,” he mumbled, making his way out of Mingyu’s room and into the hall. He could barely make out the soft sniffle behind him as he closed the door behind him.

  


**To: Chinese Prince**

**Message:** where are u?

 

**To: wonWOW**

**Message:** My dorm. Why?

 

**To: Chinese Prince**

**Message:** i need u. open up.

 

**To: wonWOW**

**Message:** Wait, you’re outside my room?

 

**To: Chinese Prince**

**Message:** yea, pls let me in.

 

 

The door to Junhui’s room opened and Junhui made himself visible. Wonwoo forced his feet to move towards the Chinese boy, erupting into tears as he reached his embrace.

“Shhhhh, Wonwoo. You’re fine now. I’m here for you,” Junhui consoled, wrapping one arm tightly around his friend and stroking his hair softly with the other. He pulled Wonwoo inside and guided them to his couch. He let go of the sad boy for a moment to pause the movie he was watching, then pulled Wonwoo back into his arms.

Wonwoo cried for a moment against Junhui’s shoulder, then looked up to stare into his eyes. “It fucking hurts.” he said with a sniffle.

Junhui frowned and started soothing Wonwoo by running his fingers through his hair, “I know. It’s gonna hurt for a while. I wish I could do more to help you, but heartbreak doesn’t disappear with a few encouraging words and a pat on the back. It takes time.”

“He didn’t love me…” Wonwoo whispered.

“That’s bullshit. The fucker was head over heels for you,” Junhui challenged.

Tears formed in Wonwoo’s eyes, and his voice began to crack, “Then why is he leaving?

Junhui didn’t have the answer to Wonwoo’s question, so he remained in his pensive silence, softly stroking Wonwoo’s hair. “He at least has a good reason. Aren’t you even a little proud of him? That’s a hard school to get into.”

 

“Of course I am! He’s such a good dancer, he deserves all the recognition he gets. I just…”

 

“Didn’t think he’d go so soon?”

 

Wonwoo sniffed and rubbed his nose on the back of his sleeve, “I thought we had more time.”

 

“So did he.”

 

“Have you talked to him?” Wonwoo questioned.

 

Junhui nodded, “He came over last night after dinner and told me everything that happened. He _is_ my best friend, you know.”

 

Wonwoo nodded, “I know, it’s just… You’ve become such a close friend to me, and you are close with Mingyu, so it’s easy to talk to you about all this.”

 

Junhui smiled, hooking his arm around Wonwoo’s neck and pulling him close, “It’s all good.

 

Wonwoo looked up at his friend with a small smile, “Thank you, Jun. You’re such a good friend, what with listening to all this bullshit between your two best friends. Even though you’re going through a breakup yourself.” Wonwoo brought a hand up to smooth back Junhui’s hair and let it rest at the nape of Junhui’s neck.

 

Junhui bit his lip, “The difference between me and you though, is I wasn’t in love with Jisoo. I liked him _a lot_ , but I wasn’t madly in love with him.”

 

“Why?”

 

Junhui blinked, furrowing his brow as he did so, “Why didn’t I love him?”

 

Wonwoo nodded, “You two seemed so happy; so content.”

 

“I really did like him. It’s just that…” Junhui paused for a moment. He trailed his eyes up to meet Wonwoo’s. “Someone else came to mind when I was with him.”

 

“Who?” Wonwoo didn’t dare break eye contact. Everything around them seemed to fade away, and his vision seemed to be zeroing in on Junhui. He could feel Junhui leaning in as his breath began to graze the side of his cheek. Junhui’s lips briefly met Wonwoo’s temple, and he pulled Wonwoo back into his arms.

 

“Do you want some tea? You’ve been crying a lot since you got here. I’ll make you some honey lemon chamomile tea.” Junhui stood and gave Wonwoo a pat on the head before making his way into his small cooking area.

 

“Juuuuuuuun. Why won’t you answer me?” Wonwoo whined, slumped down on the couch. “Who do you like more than Jisoo?”

 

“It’s a secret, Wonwoo.” Junhui didn’t turn around to face him when he answered.

 

“I promise I won’t tell… Pleeeeeeeeease tell me!”

 

“That’s not why I’m not telling you,” Junhui chuckled.

 

“Oh, come on! What is it? Why won’t you share this secret with me?”

 

Junhui rolled his eyes, “Because, Wonwoo. I don’t want you to know.”

 

“Does Mingyu know?”

 

Junhui paused before he answered. “Yes, but, I _had_ to tell him.”

 

Wonwoo scoffed, “Oh sure, he just _had_ to know. Friends don’t lie, Jun.”

 

Junhui pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, “You know what, fine. You. It’s you. I think about you all the fucking time, and I once moaned your name during sex. There it is. Mingyu knows because I had to tell my best friend I was developing feelings for his boyfriend. You happy now?” He sighed, “God, why did I tell you that?”

 

Wonwoo sat petrified on the couch. He hadn’t expected Seokmin’s prediction to be true. Junhui has feelings for _him_? He stood up and walked over to where Junhui was and pulled a flower from the bouquet he had brought the previous day. “This is a primrose. It stands for confidence. I technically gave you a confidence bouquet last night, and it seems to have worked its spiritual magic. That’s why you told me.”

 

“Oh, so the flowers made me do this?”

 

Wonwoo snickered, placing the flower back in the vase, “I’m just saying, it’d be purely coincidental if otherwise.”

 

Junhui smiled to himself and looked up at Wonwoo, “What will you do with that information?”

 

Wonwoo cupped Junhui’s face between his hands, “Not much right now. I need time to deal with Mingyu.”

 

Junhui nodded, “I understand. I didn’t tell you to pressure you or anything.”

 

“It’s okay, I know. I kinda made you tell me,” Wonwoo replied with a small smile.

 

“You’re not going to become awkward around me, right?” Junhui asked, nervousness creeping into his concerned expression. “I can’t deal with that _and_ Mingyu leaving.”

 

Wonwoo chuckled and pulled his friend into a hug, “That could never happen.”

 

Junhui rolled his eyes, but wrapped his arms around Wonwoo to return the embrace, “We also thought you and Mingyu would last forever, but you see how _that_ turned out?”

 

“Jun, I promise, we’re fine.”

 

✿✿✿

 

Wonwoo was _not_ fine. In fact, he was the furthest thing from it. After he talked to Junhui, they sat down and watched a movie together, but Wonwoo’s attention was anywhere _but_ the film. Mingyu is leaving him. Junhui is in love with him. Seokmin is gonna give him that fucking _I told you so_ look when he tells him everything that just happened, and this is all just _too much_ for Wonwoo to process. After the movie is over, he thanks Junhui for being a good friend and makes his way back to his own dorm. He really didn’t want to trouble Seokmin with his “woe is me” tale, but the moment he locked eyes with his best friend, he broke down into another fit of sobs. Seokmin just held him close and stroked his hair, as any good friend should, and told him everything would turn out okay. Wonwoo wanted to believe him. _Dear god_ he wanted to believe him. The sinking feeling in his chest, however had him believing otherwise.

 

“I hate that I still love him so much,” Wonwoo cried into Seokmin’s chest.

 

“I know. It will take some time for you to fall out of love with him,” he replied in a comforting voice. God, what would Wonwoo do without Lee Seokmin?

 

Probably wallow in self hatred.

 

“It hurts, Seokmin. It hurts so fucking much.”

 

“I know. It will hurt for a little while. But you know what? I’m here to help you through it. Jeonghan, Minghao, Seungcheol, Seungkwan… they’re here for you too. You don’t have to go through this alone, Wonwoo. We’re all here to help however we can.”

 

Wonwoo nodded and sniffled against Seokmin. His shirt was wet with Wonwoo’s tears, and he felt bad for sogging up his shirt. “You were right,” he sighed once his breathing had turned somewhat normal again. “Junhui does like me.”

 

Seokmin chuckled, “Told ya.”

 

Wonwoo nudged his friend, “Yah, I’m a _mess_ and you’re throwing _I told ya so’s_ at me?”

 

Seokmin smiled wide, “Gotta keep you grounded in reality somehow.”

 

Wonwoo rolled his eyes but allowed himself to smile.

 

“So he really dumped Jisoo in favour of you?”

 

Wonwoo shrugged, “Causation doesn’t equate to correlation.”

 

“Fuck you, he totally did.”

 

Wonwoo rolled his eyes (again) -- only Seokmin could warrant this many consecutive eyerolls -- and pulled away from the younger boy, “ _Maybe_ he did.”

 

“So, what are you gonna do?”

 

“I’m going to let things happen naturally. I need time to heal, and I can’t exactly do that if I start fucking the next guy who says he’s mildly interested in me.”

 

Seokmin nodded, “Understandable. How about I tell Jeonghan and Seungcheol to come on over, and the four of us can just hang like we used to in the dorm. Maybe it’ll get your mind off Mingyu.

 

Wonwoo nodded, “That sounds fantastic.”

  


**The Fantastic Four**

**Chat With:** The Sandman, Coup d'état, idk my bff Jill

 

**Lee Seokmin:**

Guys you need to come over

it’s an emERGENCY

 

**Coup d'état:**

Ok

but like

how much of an emergency

 

**The Sandman:**

Just when I was about to go to sleep.

 

**Lee Seokmin:**

You can sleep here

 

**The Sandman:**

But like

Why

 

**Lee Seokmin:**

Because Wonwoo is sad and needs his friends

 

**Coup d’état:**

Gimme like 5 minutes

 

**The Sandman:**

I’ll grab some ice cream

 

**Lee Seokmin:**

You guys are the BEST

 

**idk my bff Jill:**

I love you guys

 

**Coup d’état:**

I’ll bring my pillows too

 

**idk my bff Jill:**

You are a smart man, Choi Seungcheol

  


Jeonghan and Seungcheol arrived within the following ten minutes, and the four boys sat huddled together in the pillow fort Seungcheol demanded be made. Wonwoo wasn’t one to protest a pillowfort, so he just smiled as he watched his friends build a safe place to grieve. Seokmin grabbed his laptop and pulled it into the fort, putting on Dragon Ball Z for them all to watch. Wonwoo was sitting with his back against Seungcheol’s chest, and snuggled down between Jeonghan and Seokmin. He was thankful for his friends, thankful they were willing to come to his aid while he felt like complete shit. Jeonghan passed him the carton of ice cream he brought along with a smile, and Wonwoo realized that even in this moment of sadness, he was happy to be amongst his friends. They all fell asleep together in the warmth of the fort, and Wonwoo felt he could learn to forget.

 

✿✿✿

 

Wonwoo stood in the flower shop the next morning with a pout. He absolutely could _not_ forget. Not with the flowers all around him. Even with Seungcheol constantly trying to distract him throughout his shift, everything around him reminded him of Mingyu. He had to have given the boy one of each flower at one point, and -- unfortunately for Wonwoo -- he remembered each bouquet vividly. About three hours into his shift, Seungcheol fully took notice of Wonwoo’s attitude, “Hey man, are you okay? I mean, I know you’re sad about Mingyu, but like, you look like you’re physically in pain.”

 

“Seungcheol, what would I be without the flowers?”

 

“What?”

 

“If I wasn’t Wonwoo, the flower boy. What would become of me if my brand was the one thing causing me pain?”

 

“Wonwoo, what are you talking about?”

 

Wonwoo sighed and grabbed a sweet pea out of the display, “I’ve given Mingyu just about every flower in this shop, and remember the reasoning behind each one. I’ve spent so much time with him here and made so many sweet memories. What if that’s too much for me? What if I can’t work in this store? See this flower in my hand? This is _his_ flower. Do you _know_ how many sweet peas I sell? A lot, Seungcheol.”

 

“So what I’m picking up on is that Mingyu has ruined flowers for you?” Seungcheol questioned.

 

Wonwoo shrugged, “Maybe he did. I just… I feel really shitty in here.”

 

Seungcheol frowned, “I know there’s nothing I can say or do to help you right now, so FUCK Mingyu.”

 

“It’s not his fault.”

 

Seungcheol snorted and rolled his eyes, “That’s a load of horse shit and you know it.”

 

“I just,” Wonwoo paused a moment before he continued. “I don’t want to hate him.”

 

“But he made it pretty easy to,” Seungcheol finished for him. He walked behind the counter where Wonwoo was sitting and pulled him into his side. “It’s okay to be angry, Wonwoo. You deserve that much.”

 

Wonwoo sighed and pulled Seungcheol closer to him. He let himself cry for the umpteenth time that week, not even stopping when he heard Junfeng come in to relieve him for the night.

 

Junfeng gave Seungcheol a confused look before he noticed Wonwoo huddled into his shoulder. “What’s got him so down?”

 

“His boyfriend is an asshole,” Seungcheol answered with a frown.

 

“Well yeah, I could tell that by glancing at the guy.”

 

“Takes one to know one,” Wonwoo mumbled into Seungcheol’s shoulder.

 

“Look, I know I give you shit all the time, but that doesn’t mean I actually enjoy seeing you like this. Are you okay, Wonwoo?” Junfeng inquired, replacing his confusion for legitimate concern.

 

Wonwoo sniffled and broke free from Seungcheol, “No, I’m not okay. Mingyu as good as dumped me to go to a dance school in Busan where his ex boyfriend goes _and_ he withheld this information from _me_ but told his ex.”

 

Junfeng’s face fell into a frown, “That’s a dick move. So he’s known for a while?” Wonwoo nodded. “And you _just_ found out?” Wonwoo nodded again. “He doesn’t deserve you.”

 

Wonwoo blinked, perplexed at Junfeng’s answer, “What?”

 

“I said, he doesn’t deserve you,” Junfeng repeated. “I saw the way you treated him when you two were in here. You gave that asshole every bit of your heart and soul, and he just shit all over you. You don’t deserve that.” The room fell silent after Junfeng’s closing statement.

 

“He’s right, Wonwoo,” Seungcheol whispered. “If you needed a good, unbiased opinion on the situation, that was it.”

 

Wonwoo knew he was staring off into nothing, and soon his tunnel vision kicked in and all he could see was a single petal on the floor. He never expected Junfeng to care about him in any way, much less be on his side for this whole situation. Hearing his opinion hit him differently than hearing what his friends had to say to him, and he felt like he was finally facing the reality of what happened. “I… Thank you, Junfeng.” He came back to reality and lifted his gaze to meet his co-worker’s. “You’ve opened up a different side to this that I have been scared to think on. I’ve been wallowing in self pity and you have helped me see that I have no blame whatsoever. _I didn’t cause this, and he doesn’t deserve my tears._ ”

 

“Hey, if you need a few days off, I can cover for you,” Junfeng offered with a small smile.

 

Wonwoo nodded, “Yeah, actually. This place is suffocating. I need time away from the flowers.”

 

Junfeng waved Wonwoo off, “I’ll tell your mom. Go. Get out. Be with your friends, do something stupid.”

 

Wonwoo smiled, and Seungcheol hooked arms with him and started to lead him out of the flower shop. “Thanks again!” Wonwoo turned back and waved at Junfeng. The other boy just smiled and waved as he finished putting his apron on.

 

Seungcheol walked Wonwoo back to his dorm, where Seokmin was waiting to greet him. Seungcheol left them there -- claiming he had a date with Sooyoung -- and Wonwoo just curled up on Seokmin’s bed with his best friend and together they watched Dragon Ball Z until neither one of them could keep their eyes open.

 

✿✿✿

 

Wonwoo pretty much ghosted through the rest of the week, attending his classes as required, but not fully paying attention. He missed a deadline somewhere and was docked points on a few incomplete assignments, but he hardly found it in him to care much. He knew he should grit his teeth and focus everything he has into schoolwork, but the drive just isn’t there.

 

He also hadn’t been back to the flower shop since Junfeng offered to cover his shifts. The thought of going back in there terrified him, since he wasn’t sure how he’d react after all the time away.

 

His friends all had their own lives to live and couldn’t constantly console his crying heart, but they were still there when he really needed someone. Junhui had been splitting his time between Mingyu and Wonwoo, and the two could tell it was starting to stress him out. As an apology, Wonwoo decided he would brave the flower shop and grab a bouquet. It had been a whole week since he was last in the store, and he stalled outside for about five minutes before he gathered the courage to open the door and walk in. Junfeng greeted him with a smile and asked him if he needed anything.

 

Wonwoo nodded, “I need an apology bouquet.”

 

Junfeng looked at him skeptically, “For who? I won’t make it if it’s for Mingyu.”

 

Wonwoo gave him a small smile, “No, it’s for my friend. He’s going mad because me _and_ Mingyu are his best friends and we are absolutely stressing him out right now. So I want to let him know I’m sorry.”

 

Junfeng nodded and got to work on the bouquet. He returned to the counter a few minutes later with a carefully scrutinized bundle of flowers and wrapped them with tissue paper and tied a thick piece of ribbon into a bow around it. Wonwoo slapped 20,000 won on the counter with a smile. “Why are you paying? Just take the damn flowers,” Junfeng said, picking up the 20,000 won.

 

“It’s for you. Consider it a token of my gratitude.”

 

Junfeng nodded and waved at Wonwoo as he exited the shop. Wonwoo took a deep breath when he stepped back outside, not realizing how hard he had been trying to hold his breath inside the shop. He never thought the sight of flowers would ever disgust him, but one look at those sweet peas had his stomach turning.

  


**To: Chinese Prince**

**Message:** r u busy?

 

**To: wonWOW**

**Message:** Class just ended. Why?

 

**To: Chinese Prince**

**Message:** i need u, Jun.

 

**To: wonWOW**

**Message:** OK. I’ll b back @ my dorm in like 5 min.

 

**To: Chinese Prince**

**Message:** ok. thank u. I’ll meet u there.

  


Wonwoo took another deep breath and made his way over to Junhui’s dorm. The walk never seemed so daunting, but knowing he had to pass Mingyu’s room to get to Junhui’s was making him more nervous than he should be. Using the extra key Mingyu had given him, he let himself into the dorm building and up to the floor where Junhui and Mingyu lived.

 

The elevator doors opened up to reveal Mingyu waiting for the elevator to go down. Wonwoo froze, not knowing what to do in the presence of the younger boy. Mingyu looked like he hadn’t slept well in a while, the dark circles under his eyes betraying him. He placed his hand over the open door to keep it from closing and gestured at Wonwoo to walk out with a sad smile on his face, his eyes trailing from the bouquet in Wonwoo’s hand to his eyes. The same kind of smile Wonwoo was sure he had on his face. He averted his eyes to the floor and made his way down the hall to Junhui’s room without looking back. Mingyu watched him the whole way, and only let the doors close when he saw Junhui’s door open and Wonwoo disappear inside with the flowers.

 

“Hey,” Wonwoo greeted as he walked inside.

 

“Hey yourself,” Junhui smiled. “What on earth do you have in your hand?”

 

“Flowers, I guess. They’re for you since I’m such a burden of a friend,” Wonwoo shrugged.

 

“You’re not a burden, Wonwoo,” Junhui frowned.

 

Wonwoo laughed, the act empty and sullen, “I sure feel like one. You know, I saw Mingyu while I was coming over. He looks like shit.”

 

“You both look terrible.”

 

“It’s called ‘dead inside,’ and I really think you should try it one day,” Wonwoo joked.

 

“Yeah, no. I’m good.”

 

Wonwoo sighed, walking over and setting the bouquet on Junhui’s coffee table. He took a seat on Junhui’s couch and cradled his head in his hands, “How is he?”

 

“Look in the mirror.”

 

“Really? He has the gall to act sad over all this?

 

Junhui frowned, crossing his arms over his chest, “Wonwoo, I’ve been over this with you. Stop being such a selfish asshole about all this. He loved you, okay? He’s allowed to be hurt over the fact the man he loved walked away from him. You guys could have _tried_ to make it work, you know.”

 

“What if we just weren’t meant to work?” Wonwoo said, his voice wavering.

 

Junhui crouched down in front of Wonwoo and grabbed onto his hands, pulling them away from his face, “Hey, enough self pity for today. I’m not going to let you cry anymore.”

 

Wonwoo looked up at Junhui and gave him a small smile, “I don’t think I have any tears left.”

 

“Then give me a genuine smile.”

 

“Give me a reason to.”

 

Junhui hesitated before he stood up and turned towards his bedroom, “Wait right here.” He disappeared into his bedroom, leaving Wonwoo on the couch. Wonwoo stood up, curious as to what Junhui could be doing, and jumped a little when Junhui yelled for him to come into his room. Junhui had taken the sheets and duvet off his bed and created a fort between his dresser and his desk. The room was dark, except for the small desk lamp Junhui had precariously places inside the fort. A genuine smile did find its way onto Wonwoo’s face as he got down on all fours and crawled his way into the pillowy fortress. Junhui was laying down on his back inside already, and Wonwoo laid out next to him. “When I was a kid, I used to make pillow forts when I was sad and called them my _Fortress of Solitude._ ”

 

Wonwoo let out a small chuckle, “That’s precious, honestly.”

 

Junhui shifted his body to the side to look at Wonwoo, “This is your _Fortress of Solitude_ tonight. But it won’t be completely solitary because I’m here.”

 

“That’s good. I don’t want solitude right now.”

 

Junhui smiled and slung an arm over Wonwoo’s waist, “Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere.”

 

Wonwoo felt a smile creep up on his face, and he turned to face Junhui. “Thank you. I really appreciate all the shit you do for me. All of you. I’d be an absolute train wreck without you guys.”

 

“We do it because we love you, ya big dork,” Junhui smiled, pinching Wonwoo’s cheek.

 

Wonwoo tried to lean away from Junhui’s hand, but couldn’t avoid it, “I guess I love you all too.”

 

Junhui chuckled and pulled him into a hug, nuzzling into Wonwoo’s hair, “Hey, thanks for the flowers. You didn’t have to do that. I know how hard it is for you right now.”

 

Wonwoo softly pat Junhui on the back, “I don’t wanna hate the flower shop, but I really do right now. Being in there sets me off, and I feel like any progress I have made in coming to my own peace is gone. He’s everywhere.”

 

“Maybe you should quit for a while,” Junhui suggested.

 

Wonwoo pulled back from Juhui, “No, I’m not quitting. I’m going back to work tomorrow even if it kills me.”

 

“Why are you insistent on hurting yourself?” Junhui questioned, furrowing his brow as he looked at Wonwoo.

 

“I just need to get the fuck over it. That won’t happen if i’m just sitting on my ass at home.”

 

“If you think this is what it takes to get over it, then by all means. Just don’t torture yourself. Please.”

 

“I won’t, I promise,” Wonwoo smiled, his hands settling in the space between them. He looked back at Junhui’s concerned face and could only hear Junfeng’s voice in the back of his head saying ‘ _do something stupid_.’ “Hey, Jun.”

 

“What?” Wonwoo brought his hands up to cradle Junhui’s face. “Woah wait what are you doing?”

 

“Probably something really stupid,” Wonwoo whispered before he closed the distance between them, meeting Junhui’s lips with his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello~  
> How's it going?  
> Heh, yeah i know, been a while hasn't it. 
> 
> ah~ time for some discourse. Wonwoo, you big stupid doof. what are you doing?
> 
> I'm sorry this took so long to get out, but it's here now, and wowie it looks like we are almost done with this shenanigans :) after over a year! wild, isn't it?
> 
> well, come at me. [Tumblr](http://www.tayvengeance.tumblr.com) | [Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/tayvengenz)


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